Running From the Past
by IndianSummer
Summary: During Yale, Rory must confront someone from her past...who she might rather forget.
1. Is it possible that enemies can be frien...

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Author: IndianSummer

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Title: Running From the Past

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Pairing: Either Lit or Trory…I'm considering letting the reviewers decide

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Summary: At Yale, Rory is asked to research someone…a person she might rather forget.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, Stars Hollow, and I definitely don't own Yale. So in essence, all I own is my wild imagination.

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September 2003; Yale University, New Haven, CT; First Day

"Rory!"

Rory jumped at the sound of the voice, startled out of a high school reverie. She turned around to find the blonde boy who had tormented her through high school. "Tristan DuGrey. Please tell me this is a nightmare and I'll wake up soon."

"In the flesh." Tristan flashed a toothy grin, looking her up and down. "You're looking good, Rory."

If she were still in high school, she would have blushed at the compliment. But she was at Yale now. She smiled slightly, taking in Tristan. His tousled blonde hair was a little shorter and a little less tousled than when she had seen him last, and his blue eyes were shining. Looking him over, she had to be honest. "Thanks. You're looking pretty good yourself, DuGrey."

Tristan laughed, falling into step next to her. "Where are you heading?"

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Lets think about that, Tristan. I'm carrying three suitcases and six containers of Folgers. Where could I possibly be going?"

Tristan took two of her suitcases and a few of the coffee cans. "Dorm room. I'll come with you."

Rory smiled graciously. "Thank you." She stared at him intensely for a minute. "You seem different."

He laughed. "I'd hope so. I'm eighteen. The last time you saw me was over a year and a half ago."

The two walked on in silence until Rory finally spoke again. "No, I mean you seem more human. Less spoiled playboy-ey."

"I guess I've grown up."

"I hope so."

When Rory and Tristan reached her dorm room, the door was already open and a girl was in the room. Rory took in the girl before entering. She had thick blonde hair down to her butt and light blue eyes. She was tall and thin, probably three inches taller than Rory herself. Body by Victoria's Secret. Rory sighed. It figured her roommate looked like a supermodel. Rory felt inadequate standing near her. The girl glanced up and smiled. Even her teeth were straight and white. "Hey, I'm Callista Winthrop. You must be Rory."

Rory nodded, finally stepping into the room. She dropped her suitcases on the floor by the empty bed and placed the coffee cans on her desk. "Yeah. It's nice to meet you." Turning to Tristan, she added, "This is Tristan."

Tristan grinned flirtatiously at the girl and Rory rolled her eyes. Apparently he hadn't changed as much as he'd led her to believe. Rory sighed, plopping down on the bed. It was her first day and already the year wasn't looking very promising.

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December 2003; Yale University, New Haven, CT; Three Months Later

"Hey, wake up, Rory, we have class in half an hour." Tristan elbowed her gently, and Rory stirred slightly. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "You fell asleep during the movie," Tristan explained. "What time did you get to bed last night?"

Rory shrugged. "I did homework until about three. Why?"

Tristan sighed, clearly concerned. Running a hand through his hair, he said, "I don't want you to work yourself right into a mental breakdown. What would the point have been of working your butt off all through Chilton just to ruin it now?"

Rory nodded, standing up. "I know what you mean." She pulled her shirt off over her head, knowing Tristan would look away. She had learned he had become chivalrous since she had last seen him. "But I'll be okay. I promise." She grabbed a blouse and pulled it on. 

Tristan nodded, looking back at her. "Ror, if it gets to be too much or you just need to talk-"

"I know. You're there for me," she interrupted, having heard these words hundred of times in the last few days since she had passed out from exhaustion last week. "Any anyway, after today I have a little break. I have five days off." She paused. "Are you coming to Stars Hollow with me? I already know Callie is." She had formed tentative friendships with both Tristan and her roommate, and she knew Tristan was planning on returning home to Hartford to spend his break with his cold and unfeeling family.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll even drive. We can take my new car."

Rory smiled. "If we're taking that car, can I drive it? I love that car." Tristan had bought a Porsche 911 Turbo on a whim, and Rory was the only one who had really driven it so far.

"Yeah, sure."

"To prove our theories on social factors of the everyday life, you have to write papers on someone you haven't spoken to in a while, with up-to-date information on their lives, understand?" the sociology professor finished.

Rory groaned. So her break wasn't going to be as peaceful as she had hoped. Great. She quickly wrote the assignment in her planner before filing out of the classroom. 

Rory caught up with Callie in the hall. "Callie, I need to write an accurate paper on someone I haven't talked to."

Callie raised an eyebrow. "Is that possible?"

"I don't know yet. Who should I write it on?"

Callie thought for a minute. "Who's that guy you knew from high school?"

"Dean?"

"No. The cute one."

"_Jess?_"

Callie nodded. "Yeah. That's it."

"But I haven't talked to him-" Rory stopped abruptly, realizing what she had just said. "Great. I'm going to need to talk to him." She frowned. Suddenly she didn't think this project was a good idea. At all.

****

December 2003; Tristan's Porsche 911 Turbo, I-91 N; The next day

"Argh, I have to go to the bathroom, T."

Tristan looked back at Callie, who sat in the back seat, staring at him. "What? We've only been on the road half an hour."

  
Callie shrugged. "Tell my bladder that. I didn't go before we left."

Rory laughed and Tristan groaned. "Fine. We'll pull over on the side of the road and you can go. How's that sound?"

Callie grimaced. "You mean, like, in _front_ of everyone? On the _highway?_" The California beauty wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Rory laughed. "Callie, we'll be in Hartford in about fifteen minutes. Can you wait until then? We can run into Tristan's." She paused, remembering Tristan's relationship with his family. "That okay, Tris?"

  
Tristan rolled his eyes, not at all surprised Rory had volunteered his house. "Uh, sure. As long as we don't stay long."

Rory nodded in agreement. "So how do you like driving this car, Tris?"

He looked over at her quickly, and then looked back at the road. "It's nice." He laughed. "I'll let you drive from my house to Stars Hollow, okay, Rory?"

Rory nodded, content. "Thanks."

****

December 2003; The DuGrey mansion, Hartford, CT; Twenty Five minutes later

Rory gulped as Tristan pulled up to an expensive wrought iron fence. On either side of the gate, there were gargoyles, presumably watching over the house. Tristan stuck his head outside the window, and handing an idea to the guards, said, "Tristan DuGrey."

"Welcome back, sir," came the mechanical reply of a guard, and the gates swung open. Tristan drove through as Rory looked around in amazement.

The place made her grandparent's house seem miniscule. The manicured grass was green and gardens surrounded one side of the house. Tristan smiled. "There's a water fountain over there. That's where I always did my homework."

There was an enormous white gazebo set back on the other side of the house. Tulips and miniature sunflowers surrounded it. Tristan took in Rory's expression and laughed. "That was my sister's main hangout."

Rory looked at him oddly. She hadn't known Tristan had a sister. She turned to look back at the house. An enormous four-floor mansion, all stone, stood in front of her, dominating her view. "It's scary, isn't it?" Tristan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Half the third floor's been sealed off, a shrine to my mother. There are twelve bedrooms, even though there are only four people in my family. There are eight bathrooms, all of which have hot tubs. The sitting room's the other half of the third floor. The kitchen, dining room, and entrance way take up the first floor."

Callie sighed. "Sorry to break up this little 'look how rich I am' fest, but I really have to use a bathroom. Which of the eight should I use, Master Tristan?"

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Past the entry way, first door on the left of the east wing. You can't miss it."  
  
Rory watched as Callie scurried ahead of them, smiling. "The house is beautiful, Tris."

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. But it's bland. It's like no one lives here." As they reached the front door, Tristan swung it open, gesturing for Rory to enter. What she saw had her in awe. Statues, most of which were probably more expensive than Tristan's car, and portraits adorned the floors and walls.

Rory looked at each of the portraits carefully, before finally announcing, "That's you."

The portrait showed a five-year-old Tristan, but his face was unmistakable. Even then, his blonde hair was tousled carelessly, and his blue eyes sparkled with mischief. His face didn't have any of the normal baby fat, and even that early in his life, it looked chiseled and perfect. "You were cute."

"What about now?" Tristan grinned and Rory groaned. He laughed. "Just kidding, Rory. I know I'm still hot."

Rory rolled her eyes, surprised by his audacity. "Sure, Tristan."

Tristan was about to respond when Callie rejoined them. "Tris, will you give us a tour before we leave?"

"This is my bedroom."

Rory looked into the room, surprised by what she saw. The room itself was at least the size of her mother's house. But more importantly, the walls were covered with floor to ceiling bookcases. She walked up to one, picking up a random book. _Don Quixote._ Placing it down, she picked up the next book. _Donne's Poetry._ The next- _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Zhivago. Dracula. _Almost all original editions. "Do you own every classic every written?"

"Pretty much. Plus some."

She shook her head. "Who would have thought Tristan DuGrey would have such an astounding library." She looked around the rest of the room. A grand piano. She'd known he could play since sophomore year, when they had shared that kiss. She blushed and looked away quickly.

Tristan stifled a laugh. "Anyway, this ends the tour. You guys ready to go?"

****

December 2003; Luke's Diner, Stars Hollow, CT; Thirty-five minutes later

"Whoa, Rory, are you going to tell me why we stopped at a hardware store on the way to your house? I'm pretty sure nothing's wrong with T's car."

"I want to see my mom."

Tristan frowned. "I thought she didn't even know how to work a stove."

"She doesn't. That's why she'd be here." Rory bounced ahead of the others, leaving Tristan and Callie confused.

Throwing open the door, she saw her mother sitting on a stool, drinking a cup of coffee. "Mom!" As she ran over, Lorelai stood up to greet her daughter. The door swung open and Rory turned to find Tristan and Callie standing in the doorway, looking even more puzzled. She laughed. "Guys, it's a diner." Turning back to her mother, she added, "Mom, this is my roommate, Callie, and Tristan."

Lorelai greeted the two. "Anyone want coffee?"

Later that day, Lorelai had taken Tristan and Callie to her house to make up beds for the two. Rory had stayed behind at the diner. "Hey, Luke?"

"Mmm?" Luke mumbled, skimming over a menu.

"For my sociology class at Yale, we have to write a paper on someone we haven't seen in a while."

"Yeah?"

Rory took a deep breath. "What's Jess been up to?"

Luke looked up at Rory, startled. "Uh, stuff. Why?" He asked vaguely.

Rory shrugged. "Oh. Well he's the only person I could think of."

Luke nodded, taking a seat next to Rory. "Oh. Then what do you want to know?" Luke asked slowly.

Rory pulled out a list of questions she had written down. "Um…lets see. How about 'Where is he living today?'"

Luke looked at her oddly. "New York."

"Yeah, uh, I knew that," Rory said, a little embarrassed. "It's a required question…Okay, here's one. 'When's the last time you talked to Jess?'"

"Actually, he called last night."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Jess communicated? Impressive…what did you talk about?"

Luke's lips curled up slightly. "Well, Rory, you can ask Jess these questions yourself. He'll be home tomorrow."

"Rory, I don't see what the big deal is. I think it will do you good to talk to the guy." Callie sat on Rory's bed, talking with Rory and Tristan.

Tristan nodded. "I have to agree with Callie, Ror. You broke up with the Beave for this guy."

Rory laughed at Tristan's reference to her high school boyfriend. "Okay, accountant, I get what you're saying…but Jess and I have a history. It's gonna be weird."  


Tristan raised an eyebrow. "A worse history than ours?"

"Yeah. I'd say so."

Okay, people. That's the first chapter. I know it was kind of short, but the others will be longer. And as I mentioned, I'm not sure if it's going to be Lit or Trory yet, so don't ask. Feel free to make a suggestion though.


	2. Return of the Prodigal Nephew

Tristan glanced around the diner impatiently. It was the next day, and he had come as moral support for Rory, who was nervous about seeing Jess again. Rory hadn't said a single logical thing in the last half hour or so, answering all his questions with 'huhs.' "Cinderella's my favorite movie."

"Huh. Really?" Rory's gaze was focused on the doorway, and Tristan wondered if she was even aware of his presence.

"Yeah. Those mice are hot."

"Huh."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "I mean, don't you just want to make out with the fat one? What's his name, Gus?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

Tristan cleared his throat. "Rory." Snapping his fingers in front of Rory's face, he added, "Earth to Rory. Come in, Ror."

Rory blinked slowly, as if she were coming out of a trance. "What Tristan?"

"You're completely out of it. You pretty much just said you wanted to jump the mouse from Cinderella."

Rory grimaced, not meeting Tristan's gaze. "Well, I don't. Can you just forget I said it?"

Tristan nodded. "Sure. But what's up? Why are you so nervous about seeing the guy? You didn't even react this badly when you found out I'd be going to school with you."

"Yeah, but we didn't have the same problems that Jess and I had." Rory stopped suddenly; shooting Tristan a look that she hoped would make him avoid the subject.

He understood. "Well, okay, Rory. Just tell me one thing…he didn't do anything to hurt you, did he?"

"Not physically."

"Oh." It was Tristan's turn to grimace.

Even though the diner was packed to capacity for what was very likely the first time ever, Rory stood out. When Jess swung open the door to the diner, it was as if his Rory radar had gone on. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her, halfway through their senior years. Her hair had been cut, and it framed her face perfectly. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and Jess found it oddly comforting to realize she hadn't changed much at all. She wore a sapphire necklace that showed off the blue in her eyes.

As Jess took in the guy sitting across from her, his hand casually over hers, his eyes narrowed. This guy had probably given Rory the necklace. He'd never seen the guy before, but he looked like a socialite. Jess sighed. So Rory had already found a new guy, three months into the year.

As Jess walked towards Rory's table, his eyes met the guys. There was some kind of understanding in the guy's eyes, and Jess winced as the guy tightened his grasp on Rory's hand. Rory turned around to see Jess and her eyes widened. Quickly wiping the surprised look off her face, Rory stood, gesturing for Jess to join her.

"Hi, Jess." Rory smiled at him shakily, glancing from Jess to the guy and back. "Um, Luke told you what this is about, right?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah."

Rory let out a relieved sigh and she seemed to relax a bit. "Okay. Well, first of all, Jess, this is Tristan DuGrey. Tris, Jess Mariano."

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'Tris?' A jealous voice in Jess's head repeated, _'she already has a pet name for the guy?' _Jess snorted as the guy held out his hand to Jess, as if expecting Jess to shake it. "A socialite, right?"

An easy grin spread over the guy, Tristan's, face. "That's the way I was raised."

Jess nodded, pulling a loose chair over to the booth. He didn't feel comfortable sitting next to Rory or Tristan. "Uh, well, what did you want to ask me?" He directed the question at Rory.

Rory nodded, consulting a notebook. "Um, I guess I'll start off general. What's happened in the last year, Jess?"

__

Ten months, sixteen days. That was more accurate than a year. _'It's pathetic that I still count,' _Jess thought to himself. "Uh, stuff."

"Can you be more specific? Like, college, jobs, friends, girlfriends…" Rory trailed off.

__

Girlfriends. Jess instantly felt guilty. "Yeah, I have a girlfriend. Her name's Azura Skye."

"Are you _serious?_" Tristan leaned forward in his seat, clearly intrigued.

Jess nodded. "Yeah. Her mom thought that if she had to grow up with a last name like Skye, her first name might as well be Azura."

Rory took this down, and Jess mentally cursed himself for being disappointed that Rory wasn't disappointed that he had a girlfriend. Rory cleared her throat. "Okay, what about school?"

Jess shrugged. "What about it?" When Rory glared at him, he answered, "I'm going to NYU."

"What's your major?"

"Communications."

Rory looked up at him strangely, and he knew she was caught in a memory.

__

****Flashback****

Jess stared at her. "You're gonna be an overseas correspondent?"

Rory nodded, "Yes, I am."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna crawl around in trenches and stand on top of buildings and have bombs going off in the background and some wars raging all around you?"

Rory was quiet for a minute. "What, you don't think I can do it?" 

Jess shook his head quickly, not wanting to offend Rory. "No, I do. Just sounds a little too – ."

"A little what?" The words came out more defensive than Rory had meant them.

Jess shrugged. "Just sounds a little too rough for you."

Rory frowned. "Well, it's not a little too rough for me. I hope it's not a little too rough for me; I've been talking about this forever. I mean, I don't even know what I would do if – ."

Jess stifled a laugh. "Hey, I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll do it. You will, I promise. I'll help you practice, okay? Tomorrow, you'll stand in the middle of the street and I will drive straight at you screaming in a foreign language."

Rory's upper lip curved into a smile. "Well, you're gonna have to learn a foreign language first."

Jess mirrored her, smiling back. "Well, it's lucky I've got me a tutor, isn't it?" 

****End Flashback****

Rory shook her head to clear it of the reverie. "Okay. Do you have a minor?"

"Photography."

"Interesting choice. Okay, what about a job?"

"I'm working at a New York wildlife magazine assembling possible templates, that kind of thing. You know, to pay for college."

"Impressive."

"How'd it go? Did you get a chance to talk to Jess?" Callie was sitting in Rory's desk chair backwards, her legs straddling the back. 

Rory glanced at her friend from her seat on the floor. "I interviewed him. That's all."

"But you like him, right? So why aren't you going after him? I know you'd like to go out with him."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "I'm not interested in pursuing any relationship with him, unless you count this interviewer/interviewee thing we have to have going on."

Callie shrugged. "Your loss." Turning to Tristan, who was laying across Rory's bed, she added, "What's Jess like? Is he hot?"

Tristan flipped over to look at Callie. "Why are you asking me? I wouldn't find him hot. And as for what he's like, he didn't seem very friendly. Kind of monosyllabic."

Rory laughed. "All Danes men are like that."

"Danes?"

"Luke's family. Luke's monosyllabic too."

"T, I'm seriously worried about her." Callie looked up at Tristan seriously, voicing her concern about Rory now that Rory had left the room.

Tristan nodded. "I'm worried too. But if there's one thing I've learned about Rory, it's that she can take care of herself."

Callie sighed. "I know. It's just that whenever I even _mention_ Jess, Rory's eyes get all cloudy."

"I noticed. She was so nervous today, I pretty much asked her if she wanted to jump a _Cinderella_ character and she was like, 'Oh, uh, yeah, sure.'"

Callie laughed despite herself. "You really think she'll be okay?"

Tristan nodded. "It's Rory. She'll be fine."

"Mom, can I talk to you?"

Lorelai looked up to see Rory standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. "Sure, sweetie. What's up?"

Rory paused. "Did you just call me sweetie?"

Lorelai nodded. "It seemed like one of those situations that called for it."

Rory would have laughed, but she wasn't calm enough to do so. "I don't know what to do, Mom. I'm so uncomfortable around Jess."

Lorelai sighed, walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch, gesturing for Rory to do the same. Rory did. "Ror, I don't really know what to say because you never told me what happened or why Jess left." She paused. "Do you want to tell me now?"

Rory shook her head, and then leaned against Lorelai, suddenly feeling weak. "God, Mom, this sucks."

"Hey, Callista, Tristan, can I talk to you two for a minute?" Lorelai stood in the doorway to the kitchen where the two were eating lunch.

Callie looked up. "Yeah, sure. Uh, call me Callie, though."

Lorelai nodded, sitting down at the table. "I just wanted to talk to you while Rory was in the shower." She paused, feeling as if she were breaking her daughter's confidence. "What do you guys know about Rory's relationship with Jess?"

Tristan frowned. "Nothing, really. Except she seems scared of him." His eyebrows scrunched together. "I thought you'd know. You and Rory are so clo-"

"No, no, I don't. Rory never told me. I think Lane might know."

"Lane?" Callie looked confused.

"She was Rory's best friend through high school."

Tristan and Callie stood on the doorstep to _Kim's Antiques_, waiting for someone to answer the door. 

"Hello?" A short, graying Korean woman cracked the door open slightly, peering through.

"Hi. We're looking for Lane Kim. Is she here?" Tristan smiled what had often been referred to as his killer grin.

"You're not Korean." Mrs. Kim's eyes narrowed. "What do you want with my daughter?"

Tristan hid his surprise quickly. "Oh, we're friends of Rory Gilmore's. We just wanted to talk to Lane."

"Lorelai's letting a strange boy stay there? No wonder Rory turned out the way she did."

Tristan gulped. "Uh, no, not strange. High school classmate. And this is Callie. She's our friend."

Mrs. Kim took in Callie critically. "You look nice. Not Korean. But nice. Lane can talk to you. But not this hoodlum."

Lane stepped outside, glancing at the two teens. The blonde girl stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Callie, Rory Gilmore's roommate. Um, is there anywhere we can talk?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." She looked around for her mother nervously. "We can go to _Luke's._"

"Okay. Oh, and this is Tristan. Your mother said you aren't supposed to talk to him because he's a non-Korean hoodlum."

Tristan glared at Callie. "You're loving that, aren't you?"

Lane interrupted before Callie could answer. "Tristan? As in Chilton Tristan? Bible Boy? Antichrist?"

"Antichrist. That's a bit strong. What are you going to call me next? A hellion?" Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"It's possible. What have you done to Rory since I last saw her?"

"Okay, Lane, I guess the main reason we braved your mother is because Rory had a weird reaction. You know, since Jess is back in town."

"Jess is back? Why? I thought he'd left for good. I thought he'd leave Rory alone." Lane's voice became agitated. "Poor Rory."

Tristan caught Callie's gaze quickly. "Uh, do you know what happened between them?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not going to tell you guys. Sorry, but if Rory wants you to know, she'll tell you."

Tristan groaned. "You won't even give us a hint?"

Lane sighed. "No. But I will tell you this. Rory has every right to kill Jess. And if she does, the whole town will be happy."

Those words coming from Lane, who seemed the polar opposite of her mother, astounded Tristan. "Whoa, that's a strong opinion if I've ever heard one."

The Korean girl, probably only 5'2, didn't look like the kind of person who would say that. Lane nodded. "Jess deserves everything he gets."

"Well, if Jess turns up dead, you're sounding awfully incriminating." The three laughed. "Seriously, though, when did all this happen?"

"Halfway through senior year." Lane didn't expound; she just sat there, gazing into space as if she were caught in another world.


	3. Vanna and her Confrontations

Lorelai frowned, glancing at Luke out of the corner of her eye. He hovered over the counter, close enough to the coffee pot to prevent her from grabbing it. "Luke," she whined, raising her voice.

Luke glanced at her, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "No."

"But, Luke," she raised her voice an octave higher. "Coffee. Coffee is my life! My soul! The one thing that keeps me alive!"

"Good."

"Huh?"

Luke nodded. "Well, if coffee keeps you alive, and I don't give you any, you'll have to bring your whining elsewhere."

"Luke…" Lorelai stuck out her bottom lip slightly, making it shake slightly, as if she were on the verge of tears. "I've had an _awful _day and now you're denying me coffee?" She glared at him.

Luke laughed. "No."

Jess stood on Lorelai's front porch, his fist braced inches away from the door, paused in mid-knock. He frowned. Would Rory murder him when she opened the door? He sighed. He couldn't be afraid of her. He knocked quickly, before he got a chance to change his mind.

A minute later, the door creaked open and a girl peered out at him. Not Rory. "Hello," she said quietly, her blue eyes narrowed slightly.

"Uh, is Rory here?"

The girl opened the door a little wider, but her arm was across the opening, keeping him from entering. He knew she had to be from a big city to be this cautious. "You're Jess."

"That's right." He tried to keep his tone simple, but when he got nervous, he became sarcastic. And something about this girl made him nervous.

"Wow, Vanna, do I win a prize?" the girl shot back, her voice equally sarcastic.

Jess rolled his eyes. "You have my name. What's yours?"

The girl was quiet for a minute. "Callie. Not Callista, Callie."

"Well, Callie, can I come in?"

"No."

"What?" Jess was surprised.

Callie nodded. "That's right. I'm not letting you in. Because I still don't know what you did to my friend that made her so nervous to be near you. But it couldn't have been good. Lane wouldn't even give me a hint."

"So?" Jess asked, although it wasn't really necessary. He knew what was coming. 

"I'm not letting you in until you tell me what happened."

Rory closed her eyes and listened as the familiar lyrics washed over her. _Should I stay or should I go now? If I stay there will be trouble._ How many times had these lyrics outlined Jess's choices? Countless. And now she was in the same position. If she stayed, there'd be trouble. But if she went…there'd still be trouble.

And Rory knew in her heart of hearts that she had to face him. She had spent too long, almost a year, obsessing over the situation. She sighed. Jess hadn't left after their first kiss, and there were so many reasons for him to. So she wouldn't leave yet. Because even if she didn't want to admit it, she still liked him, in some way or form. Maybe not love, maybe not any romantic way, but they had been friends long before that kiss had changed everything. Long before… She shook her head, knowing if she let her thought continue in this pattern she'd soon lose all the control she had.

"Uh, you want me to tell you what happened with Rory?" Jess asked slowly, stalling for time. He had promised Luke he'd have Lorelai's sink fixed by the end of the day, so it wasn't like he could just leave.

"Yeah. That's what I said. And last time I checked, it wasn't a very confusing question. Let me rephrase so your simple mind will understand- what…did…you…do…to…Rory?"

Jess gulped. "Uh…"

"C'mon, Jess. Stop wasting my time. Believe it or not, I do have better things to do than sit here talking to you."

"You're standing."

"Same difference. And don't try to change the subject…well?"

Jess sighed. "You know, I don't have to answer to you. I'm outta here. Tell Lorelai you wouldn't let me in to fix the sink." He turned on his heal to leave.

"Wait! Jess!"

Jess turned around at Rory's voice, his heart lifting unintentionally. Rory had breezed past Callie and she stood on the porch he had just vacated. Her thick hair was down, blowing in the wind, and Jess thought she looked like a model. _'Yeah, and I'm not biased,'_ he thought sarcastically.

"I have a few more questions for my paper. Do you mind?"

Jess shook his head. "Uh, no."

"Okay…so I need to know about this girl. Azura?"

"Oh, yeah. Um, what do you need to know?" Jess wished he hadn't told Rory about Azura, because it pained him to see how unaffected she was.

"You know, the basics. Like how old is she? Where's she go to school? Where's she from?"

Jess nodded. "Okay. She's twenty. From New York, like me. She's going to Columbia. And her little sister, Scarlett, lives with her. Her parents died in a car accident two years ago and she got custody of Scarlett. Scarlett's sixteen."

"Oh, wow. She sounds like quite a person. A real angel. Good for you, Jess." Rory said it lightly, jotting down notes. "Okay, so this Scarlett girl. What's she like?"

"Azura's mother got her started modeling when she was ten. She's had spreads already, like in _Teen _and _Cosmopolitan_. Anyway, she wants to be a singer or actress. She's smart and her grades are good."

"Well, does she have a membership to Overachievers Anonymous?" Rory smiled slightly.

Jess shrugged. "Do you?"

Later that day, Rory was laying across the living room floor, watching TV. Callie had gone out to do something, and Tristan was sitting on the couch. "Tris?"

"Mmm?" He didn't bother to look at her; he just stared ahead at the TV.

"What happened between you and your family?" She thought she had the right to ask the question, for all the personal questions he had asked her lately.

Tristan still didn't look at her, but Rory noticed his jaw set and his eyes cloud over. "Nothing, Rory."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "That's your version of nothing?"

"Let it go, Rory."

"Fine. But you let my Jess situation go."

He thought for a moment before answering. "Fine."

Callie walked along the dirt roads of Stars Hollow, kicking an aluminum can in front of her as she walked. "Somebody's in a bad mood."

Callie looked up, startled. "Jess." She narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Jess let out a short, harsh laugh. "Me? I lived here for two years. I have more right to be here than-"

"I meant here, by the bridge. You crept up all stalker like." Callie's eyes darted around nervously, and Jess frowned.

"So I did. The bridge was kinda…my spot while I was here. You know, where I went when I wanted to be alone."

Callie nodded, clearly understanding what he meant. "Yeah, I get it. Probably too well."

Jess nodded, not pushing it. "Yeah, I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry."

Callie shrugged, turning her eyes on him. She took him in slowly, carefully, as if he was hiding something. Which he was, of course. "I don't get you, Jess."

"This is supposed to surprise me?"

Callie shrugged. "It's just…from the way Rory acts, from what she's said, I know you did _something _bad to her. Something awful. But since I've met you…I don't know. You haven't seemed like that kind of person."

Jess laughed, sitting down on the side of the bridge. "Should I take that as an insult or a compliment?"

Callie stood still for a moment, considering his question. "A compliment," she finally said, sitting down next to him.

Jess woke up the next morning to a sharp pain in his left side. He shifted slightly, his mind clouded. As his thoughts became his own again, he realized where he was. On the bridge. Callie was leaning against his shoulder, and by her even breathing, he knew she was asleep.

Jess frowned. He wasn't exactly comfortable, but he didn't want to wake Callie up either. He stared down at the sleeping girl, who didn't look half as innocent as Rory was awake. The girl didn't seem to have much peace.

And Jess's mind was made up. He wouldn't wake her, at least not yet. He'd suffer for a bit, if it meant Callie could rest.

It was another two hours before Callie woke up. The sun was just coming up, and the sky was pink. "Pink sky in morning, sailors take warning," she murmured.

"Huh?"

The voice startled her, and she realized that her 'pillow' was Jess. "The old rhyme. Pink sky at night, sailor's delight. Pink sky in morning, sailors-"

"Oh."

Callie frowned. "Oh my God. I fell asleep on you. You must have been so uncomfortable."

"It was fine." Jess moved his arm and winced slightly.

Callie raised an eyebrow. "Fine? I don't think so." Standing up slowly and stretching, she added, "Let me help you. I'm pretty good with my hands."

Callie braced herself for some comment like, 'I'll bet you are,' which seemed to be pretty common, but Jess just nodded. "Okay." He shifted slightly, turning his back to her.

Callie's hands worked their way over Jess's shoulders, at the base of his neck. She smiled as his head rolled back, lolling in small circles. After a few minutes, she whispered, "That better?"

"Mmm." Jess turned to her. "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Callie started to laugh and Jess frowned. "What?"

"You did not just say that," Callie said between giggles.

"Yeah, I did," Jess said, starting to laugh himself.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Luke, I'm asking for one teeny weensy cup of coffee. Java. Drink of the Gods. Pleeeaaaaase."

Luke rolled his eyes, ignoring her. When he heard the familiar jangle of the bells that symbolized the door opening, he turned towards the source. Jess and Rory's friend had just walked in. "Jess, you were supposed to cover the nine shift. Where were you?"

Jess shrugged. "Bridge."

"The wooden bridge? Not some gambling card game bridge?"

"Uh-huh." Jess walked over to behind the counter. Grabbing the coffee pot from Luke, he filled Lorelai's cup. "I can't deal with her whining." Lorelai smiled giddily, taking a gulp of her coffee. Jess rolled his eyes, turning to Callie. "You want anything?"

Callie nodded, looking over the pastries. "Um…a jelly doughnut, please."

Jess handed her the doughnut and a cup of coffee. "You're a friend of Rory's. You must like coffee," Jess said simply.

Jess realized Luke was staring at him and he realized he didn't usually pay this much attention to a customer. Jess turned away.

"Ooh. I got an idea! How about we all go back to my house and tell freaky ghost stories and Luke can bring Mr. Coffee." Lorelai sounded gleeful at her suggestion.

Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Coffee?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah. Mr. Coffee's Luke's coffee machine. It's the best."

Tristan rolled his eyes, glancing at Callie. She smiled, glanced at Jess, and he smiled too. Odd. "Uh, I guess that would be cool." Tristan glanced outside. There was a torrential downpour, and just then, there was a loud clap of thunder. "Callie and I will go bring my car around."

Rory frowned. "Did you leave the roof down?"

Tristan grimaced. "Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, T. Now the real reason you chose me to come with you, and not Rory." Callie raised her eyebrows.

Tristan laughed. "Nothing gets by you, Callie. Befriending the enemy, are we?" He stared at her intently.

Callie bit her lip. "Uh, I don't know. No, I'm not. I'm just being civil to him, you know?"

Tristan nodded, not believing her. "Okay, Callie. Just be careful. Remember, Rory's one of your best friends. And if Rory finds out you're hanging out with Jess…" Tristan trailed off, shaking his head.

Callie didn't respond. Instead she just kept walking toward the car.

Lane had joined the others at Lorelai's house soon after the diner crowd had arrived, and she watched Jess in disgust. At least he had the brains to sit on the opposite side of the room as Lane, because Lane was sure that if she had the chance, she'd kill him. So much for pacifism. 

Jess and Rory sat on the opposite sides of the room uncomfortably, glancing at the floor, the walls, anything but each other. Lane could kill him. She really could. For him to come in here and make Rory uncomfortable in her own home. 

Tristan cleared his throat and Lane realized she must have been sending Jess death stares. She blushed, looking away quickly. She stood up and walked out to the kitchen to get some water.

As she filled her glass, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jumping, she turned around to find Tristan standing there. "Oh, hi. You scared me."

"Sorry. You probably scared Jess though with those looks you were giving him." Tristan smirked. "Are you sure he didn't do anything to you?"

Lane grimaced. "No. And definitely not in the way you were thinking. He hurt my best friend, so I guess he hurt me."

"What did he do to Rory?"

"Tristan…" Lane's voice held a warning.

"Sorry. I know, you think Rory should tell me. But she won't. Plus, I want to hear your version." He flashed her his killer grin.

Lane winced. "Does that really work?"

"What?"

"Seducing your way into answers?"

A self-confident smirk appeared on Tristan's face. "You find me seductive?"

Lane sighed. "Gee, Tristan, does your mind only work one way?"

He smiled a player smile at her. "Only when there's a beautiful girl there."

Lane laughed. "Oh God. That's the best you can do. I'm thinking Rory's high school opinion of you was right."

Tristan shrugged. "Maybe…but seriously, Lane, you do know you're beautiful, right?"

Lane smiled shyly. "Tristan, don't do this."

"Do what?"

"Compliment me. Lie. Act like this. It's like your trying to get something out of me." Lane paused. "Oh, wait! I already know you are!" Her voice was sarcastic, hurt.

Tristan sighed. "Lane. I'm not lying to you. You are beautiful. And trying to get something out of you? Yeah, I want to know what happened between Rory and Jess but I want to be your friend more."

Lane rolled her eyes. "Gee, Tristan. I should feel so lucky that you want to be my friend. Every girl wants an egotistical friend."

Tristan laughed, shaking his head. "So, you still haven't answered my question."

"Huh?"

"Do you find me seductive?"

"Ooh. I know this. Ooh, ooh, ooh! You're a mime!" Lorelai let out an excited giggle, standing up.

Luke frowned. "How the hell did you get to be so good in Charades?"

Lorelai shrugged. "It's a gift, I guess. Now sit down. My turn." Lorelai took Luke's spot in the center of the living room.

"Ooh. A movie!" Rory took in her mother's actions carefully. "Oh. Um…what's it called. Um…"

"When Harry Met Sally," Jess said, gazing at her.

Rory blushed, remembering a time she and Jess had watched the movie. "Oh, uh, yeah. That's it."

Lorelai frowned. "Err. I should have made it harder. Fine, Jess, you're up."

"What?" Jess frowned. "I don't want to- no, let Rory go."

"No, rules are rules, Mariano. Get up." 

Callie was laying on the living room couch later that night when Jess entered the room. Turning over to look at him, she grimaced. "What time is it?"

"Two in the morning. Go back to sleep."

Callie rubbed her eyes, sitting up. "No. What's up?"

Jess glanced at her. "Nothing. I was just gonna go for a walk."

Callie frowned, glancing outside. The thunder was weaker, but the rain was still coming down. "In this weather?"

Jess nodded. "It's not that bad."  


"Fine. I'll come with you."

Jess stared at her. "What?"

"I said I'm coming. That way if you get struck by lightning you won't lay there all night and go unnoticed."

Jess laughed. "That's likely. In this town, if someone noticed me, they wouldn't help me anyway."

Callie frowned. "I doubt that, Jess. You might not be the most popular person in the town, but I don't think people would let you die."

"Name one person that wouldn't," Jess challenged, opening the door and stepping outside.

Callie followed him outside and the two started walking. "Rory."

"Maybe a while ago. But now, she'd be the one telling people to leave me there. She'd be the lightning."

"Ah, metaphors. You know, they're supposed to be the path to a poets heart. So Rory's made it to your heart, huh?"

Jess stopped walking suddenly, rubbing his temples. "Rory and I were over before we began. There's nothing there."

Callie nodded, not believing him for a second.

"Tris."

Tristan frowned, glancing across the dark room. Squirming out of his sleeping bag, he tiptoed over to Rory. Strange. Callie wasn't in her bag. "What?" he asked, sitting down on the side of her bed.

"Why does everything have to be so confusing?"

Tristan glanced at Rory's alarm clock. It was four in the morning and she had gotten him up to mope? Great. "It's life, Rory. It will end soon enough."

"The confusion or life?"

Tristan shrugged. "I don't know. Are you seriously depressed?"

Rory laughed, punching him lightly. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Turn a serious question into a joke. Make me feel better."

Tristan shrugged, pulling her into his arms. "I don't know. I just like to make sure you're happy."

Rory nodded, snuggling against him. "I am. For now. But the second I see Jess again…" She trailed off and tightened her grasp around Tristan's chest.

Tristan gave her a comforting squeeze. "Rory, it's not that big of a deal. Jess doesn't seem like he'll try to hurt you or anything."

Rory sighed, a tear slipping down her cheek. "It just hurts, Tris. We used to be so close."

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Just hold me."


	4. Trailer Trash

AN- In this chapter, it looks like the 'ships have been decided… but they haven't. There's still a lot more twists.

It was strange to wake up this way. To be in someone's arms, to feel protected. Callie sighed happily, turning slightly to look at Jess. He was still sleeping, and she couldn't bring herself to hate him for whatever he had done to Rory when he looked so innocent.

But Callie also knew that they couldn't lie here like this. It would look different to everyone else. If someone came downstairs and found Callie in Jess's arms…She shuddered at the thought. "Jess," she murmured.

Jess shifted slightly, but he didn't open his eyes. She ran a hand through his hair. "Jess."

"Mmm." Jess shifted again and Callie pulled her hand back. She watched as he slowly opened his eyes and blinked. "Morning."

"Morning, Jess." Callie smiled again. "We need to get up though. It won't look too good if someone comes downstairs."

Jess nodded, sitting up slowly. Callie missed the feeling of his body against hers. "Yeah, you're right."

Tristan's first thought when he woke up was that he had broken his pact of friendship with Rory. Regret filled him instantly as he looked down at the sleeping girl next to him. She stirred slightly, and Tristan saw that she was wearing her tank top.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he smiled. He had spent the night with Rory and hadn't done anything. That had to be a reason to celebrate. "Ror, get up."

Rory's eyes opened slowly and widened when she saw him. Sitting up quickly, she frowned. "What happened?"

Tristan shook his head, trying to keep a smile off his face. "No, nothing happened, dirty girl. We just fell asleep."

Rory nodded, calming down a little. "Oh." She blushed. "Now I feel a little stupid."

"Don't."

"Hey, kiddies, want coffee?" Lorelai's voice was too bright for this early. Jess groaned.

"Yeah, a really big cup."

Lorelai nodded. "That's what I figured. I'll give each of you a big cup. And Rory- you want two, right?"

Rory shook her head, glancing at Tristan. "No, I kind of like the relaxed tired feeling today." She smiled slightly, and Tristan smiled as well.

Jess narrowed his eyes. Rory and Tristan? He glanced at Callie, and she shrugged. Lane's eyes had narrowed, and she was frowning at Tristan. Jess cleared his throat. "Lorelai, why are you so chipper this morning?"

"Chipper? Did you say chipper? Yep, you did. And I'm just happy. I got coffee from Mr. Coffee first thing this morning."

"Where's Luke?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Back at the diner. He didn't want to open late. He didn't want the town talking."

Jess laughed. "Sounds like Luke."

"Mmm-hmm."

Halfway through the day, when Rory, Callie, Tristan, Jess, and Lane were sitting in the diner, Callie suggested an idea. "Hey, has anyone heard of that new club in Hartford?"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. It's actually pretty close to Chilton, where Rory and I went to high school."

Callie nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I was thinking that we could all go there tonight. You know, just dance, stop worrying."

Lane shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Yeah, me too," Jess said.

Rory was quiet for a minute, then meeting Tristan's gaze, she smiled. "Yeah, why not?"

Callie had never seen a club like this, not even in LA. The room was packed and the music was pulsating, but it was live. "This is great," she shouted.

Tristan nodded, glancing at Rory. It was obvious this wasn't Rory's normal scene. She looked out of place, tense, worried. "What do you think, Rory?"

Rory plastered on a smile. "Oh, it's great."

"Why don't we dance?"

Rory shrugged. "Sure."

Callie watched as the two walked off, leaving her alone. Jess and Lane had opted to drive alone, so they weren't here yet. "That hurt?"

Callie jumped at Jess's voice. "What?"

"Tristan. And Rory. Your friends. Your crush. Hooking up."

"I'll admit it feels weird to have my best friends hooking up but my crush? Tristan? No."

"Okay, Callie. Whatever you say. You want to dance?"

Callie shrugged. "Yeah. Why not. Just don't step on my feet."

Callie hadn't expected Jess to be able to dance. She had thought Jess was your typical rebel without a cause, a guy in a permanent bad mood. She had been pleasantly surprised.

As a slow song came over the sound system, Callie found herself in Jess's arms. "I like this song," she murmured, leaning against him.

Jess smiled. "Coming from anyone else, that would be a line. Coming from you…" Jess trailed off.

Callie smirked, rolling her eyes. "In California, that's how a guy tells a girl he wants to jump into bed with her."

Jess laughed. "Aren't you the voice of experience? Same thing in New York, actually."

"You never used that line, did you?"

Jess shook his head. "No. I was always honest to a fault. If I wanted to sleep with some girl, I'd walk up to her and be like, 'You're hot. Let's go have sex.'"

Callie grimaced. "How'd that go over?"

Jess shrugged. "Well, sadly. The girls in New York, well, most of them, anyway, weren't exactly hard."

"I know what you mean. I can't remember one person from my past who said no to sex."

"What about yourself?"

Callie smiled sadly, shaking her head. "I wasn't much different."

To say Jess was surprised that Rory's friend was tainted, so to speak, was an understatement. But he understood the look she had sent him. It said, 'Don't go there' louder than anything else. He held her closer, afraid to meet her eyes.

And in some way, holding Callie made him feel better about himself. It was as if all the mistakes he had made in the last six years had vanished.

"Lane Kim. Who woulda thought?"

Lane frowned at Tristan's greeting. "Who would have thought what?"

Tristan shrugged. "That you'd be clubbing. Anyone who knows your mother, well, I guess they'd never think you were a bad girl."

Lane raised an eyebrow. "A bad girl? Don't you think that that's going a step far?"

Tristan shrugged. "The way I see it, you're sitting at a bar, talking to a guy you hardly know, breaking Mommy Dearest's courting rules."

Lane rolled her eyes. "A guy I hardly know? I probably know more about you than your parents."

Tristan winced. "That doesn't take much."

"Oh…sorry."

"That's okay. So, rebel, wanna dance?"

Lane rolled her eyes, jumping up from her stool. "I thought you'd never ask."

Rory sat down, watching her friends dance. She was tired, and she didn't really like it here anyway. It was too loud. She frowned. It was weird to see and Callie with Jess and Tristan with Lane. Very weird. And she wasn't sure which hurt more.

"Wanna dance?"

Rory turned around to find a man, probably about her age, standing behind her. He was cute, with short dark hair and brown eyes. "Uh, yeah, sure." She took his proffered hand and followed him onto the dance floor.

"What's your name?"

"Rory. Rory Gilmore. You?"

The guy laughed. "Don't you know the rules of clubbing?" At Rory's strange look, he added, "You know, don't give your last name. Because if you don't like someone you meet, they'll be able to call you."

Rory laughed with him. "Good point. Thanks for filling me in. So what's your name?"

"Austin Hart."

Rory smiled, realizing he had just broken his own rule. "I see you don't enforce that rule."

"Only with women I might like to see again."

"Whoa. So you really go to Yale? What's a girl as smart as you doing at some stupid club?"

Rory smiled at the offhanded compliment. "It probably won't surprise you that it wasn't my idea. My friend suggested it and everyone else agreed so here I am."

"Oh. Where are your friends?"

"Dancing with each other."

"So you're a fifth wheel?"

Rory shook her head. "No. At least I don't think so. My roommate's dancing with a, uh, high school friend. And my best friend from high school is dancing with a Yale friend."

"Oh. That's gotta be awkward."

"Yeah. You could say that." Rory smiled. "But I don't want to talk about them. Lets just dance."

"Lane Kim. Why do I have the feeling you've danced before?"

Lane rolled her eyes. "Tristan, I've danced before. How's that hard to believe? Everyone I know knows how to dance."

Tristan shrugged. "I thought it would be against your mother's rules, you know, dancing with a non-Korean guy and all."

Lane laughed. "Well, there's not really a romance here. Plus you'd pass her test. Barely, but you'd pass. You're working towards an affluent career, you know?"

Tristan laughed. "Affluent? If that's all I wanted, I wouldn't have to work."

"So what do you want?"

"I want to not have to depend on my father. My father's always held money over my head. There's always strings attached with him."

"I take it you don't have a good relationship with him."

Tristan laughed harshly. "That's true." 

"I would've thought you guys got along. Everything I've ever heard about the Hartford DuGreys portrays you as a loving family."

"'Tis an old saying, the Devil lurks behind the cross. All is not gold that glitters."

"Don Quixote."

"Yeah."

"Did you club a lot back in LA?"

Callie's eyes darkened and she took in a deep breath. "You could say that."

Jess and Callie had found seats at the bar and were talking. "What's that mean?"

  
Callie shrugged. "I guess I was a clubber, even back then. What about you? Did you club often?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah. Only…" He trailed off, looking down at his hands. "Well, my purpose wasn't dancing, if you know what I mean."

Callie frowned. "Sex?"

That was what he liked about Callie. She didn't skirt around issues like Rory would. "No."

"Drugs?"

"Uh-huh." Jess sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You could say I made a lot of mistakes in that department."

"You deal?"

"A little. Nothing hard. Well, once. I dealt ecstasy once. I didn't like what it did though. So I didn't deal it after that."

Callie nodded. "I never dealt, but I know what you mean."

"You? Are you saying…" At Callie's look of confirmation, Jess swore under his breath. "Not to be rude, but if you did drugs, how'd you get into Yale?"

"Well, my grades never suffered. Daddy wouldn't allow that. The summer of my senior year, Daddy put me in a rigorous rehab program. I've been clean since."

"Clean enough to get into Yale?"

Callie sighed, meeting Jess's eyes. "Ever noticed how many secrets disappear when there's money on the table?"

Jess shook his head. "So not even Yale enforces morals?"

"They were offered a new library wing. They would have been fools to pass it up."

"Hey, do you want to meet my friends?" Rory asked Austin hesitantly, hoping he wouldn't think it sounded forward.

Austin just smiled. "Yeah, sure."

Rory took him by the elbow and led him over to Callie and Jess. "Callie, you having fun?"

Callie nodded, taking in Austin. "Who is this gorgeous specimen?" she asked.

Rory laughed. "Trust you to be blunt. Callie, this is Austin. Austin, that's Callie. And that's Jess."

Austin shook Callie's hand, but just nodded at Jess. Jess took him in critically, his eyes narrowed. "Nice to meet you."

Rory smiled at Austin. "C'mon, come meet my other friends."

Tristan felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs as Rory approached him and Lane with a guy in tow. "Hey, Tris, Lane, this is Austin."

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. Uh, I know him."

Austin smiled at him, holding out his hand. "Tristan DuGrey, what a pleasant surprise."

Tristan nodded, not taking his hand. "Yeah, you too. How was your summer, Austin?" The question was offhanded and sounded innocent enough, but Austin glared at Tristan. 

"Well, it's over. That's a negative, I guess. But the seasons change, don't they?"

"So…this would be your winter?"

"Yeah. Three months is definitely long enough. Anyway, DuGrey, I'd have never made the assumption that you and Rory were friends."

Tristan nodded. "Yeah, we are."

"So you can be friends with a girl?" Austin teased.

"Yeah, I can. Although I do know some people who have trouble with that particular idea."

Rory glanced at Lane, confused by the dialogue. First the two had talked about seasons, now friendship? What was going on? Rory cleared her throat, uncomfortable. "Uh, Austin, I love this song. Lets go dance."

"Okay, Rory." Austin held Tristan's gaze for a few more seconds before taking Rory's hand.

As the two walked back onto the dance floor, Tristan called out, "Don't do anything I would've."

Rory frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

Lane stared at Tristan as he downed another beer. "Uh, Tristan, what just happened? How do you know Austin?"

Tristan glanced at her, looked out at the dance floor where Rory and Austin were dancing and swore under his breath.

"Uh, Tristan. Earth to Tristan. I asked you a question."

Tristan jumped a bit. "Oh, uh…lets leave it at Austin and I share a close, personal friend."

"A friend?" Lane arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. A girl. Summer."

"Hence the seasons. What happened?"

Tristan sighed. "That night Rory and I kissed…at the end of sophomore year…at Madeline's party."  


"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You and Rory kissed? And she didn't tell me this? I'm going to have to have a serious talk with that girl. To think she didn't tell me-"

"Lane."

"Oh, sorry."

"Anyway, that night, Summer and I had gone to the party, and we had been having problems with our relationship."

"Okay. So Summer was your girlfriend. How serious?"

"My most serious relationship."

"What's that mean?"

"A few months."

"Oh. Wow."

"Anyway, we had gone to the party, only because she wanted to. My grandfather had had a heart attack the day before so…well, I didn't want to go. But we went. I guess I wasn't the life of the party like Summer expected. Anyway, Summer had disappeared. I went to find her, and she was making out with Austin in the bathroom."

"Ouch. What a slime."

"Yeah."

"So what happened after that? This kiss you mentioned with Rory?"

"Nothing. I was playing the piano in the sitting room. Rory came in. We talked, we soothed, we kissed."

"Wow. And you aren't vague at all."

The new band was starting up. Callie frowned. Those guys looked familiar. As the lead singer started speaking, her face turned ashen as she recognized them. "Anyway, this song we donate to a friend from LA. Without her, we wouldn't have had any motivation."

__

The way she moves,

The way she speaks,

The way she flirts,

It drives me crazy.

Her body, her beauty,

It drives me crazy.

Her nonexistent innocence…

It drives me crazy.

Her ruby lips,

Her sultry eyes,

The way she smiles.

It drives me crazy.

That thick blonde hair,

Her perfect ass.

She tilts her head,

Shaking loose her hair.

The shirt's gone.

Her hands work on the leather pants.

That look in her eyes.

It drives me crazy.

As the song ended, Callie's hand slipped over her mouth in horror and she broke into a run. She had to get out of there. This couldn't be happening. Jess watched her run off, bewildered.

"Good song," Austin murmured, wrapping his arms around a slightly buzzed Rory.

She nodded, looking up at him. "It was kind of freaky though…I mean the song was obviously about a sexual encounter."

"That scare you, Rory?"

Rory shook her head. "No."

"Could I kiss you?"

Rory nodded. "Mm-hmm." It felt good to be wanted. Bringing her hands from Austin's shoulders to around his neck, she pulled his head down to hers. As their lips touched, she sighed. As they broke apart, she smiled up at him. "Lets go for a walk. We can't talk unless we can hear each other."

It took Jess eight minutes to find Callie. She was doubled over by a dumpster, as if she didn't want to be found. "What was that?" Jess asked quietly, walking up to her.

Callie wiped away the tears on her cheeks and she shook her head. "Sorry. I just needed a breath of fresh air."

Jess shook his head, crouching down next to her. "Only if you were oxygen deprived and about to faint, but even then you wouldn't have been able to run like that. What happened, Callie?"

Callie shook her head again. "Nothing, Jess. I'm fine. Just a…panic attack."

"A panic attack?" Jess's voice was cynical. "I've seen panic attacks before, Callie, and that's not what they look like."

Callie sighed. "Jess, just go. Leave me alone." A tear slipped down her cheek.

Jess pulled her into his arms, attempting to comfort her. "Callie, just tell me. I promise I won't judge you."

Callie took a shaky breath. "The…the song." She paused, trying to collect herself. "It was about me."

Jess's eyes widened. "What? How is that possible? That song was about a-"

"Stripper, Jess. Yes, I was a stripper. Yes, those guys were from LA. Yes, if you asked them who that song was dedicated to, they'd answer 'Callista.''

Jess never would have thought this. "Callie…" he started, but he realized he didn't know what to say. So this was why she was so adamant about being called Callie.

"I'm a slut, Jess. I thought it was over. But it never really will be. It will never-"

Jess shook his head, gently wiping away a tear on her cheek. "No, Callie, you aren't. That is behind you. You are a sober Yale student with good friends, good grades, and a promising future."

Callie shook her head. "No, Jess. I am. I was a stripper. It wasn't like I needed the money. I just thought it was fun."

"No you didn't. Drugged-out-of-her-mind sixteen year old Callista did. You, Callie, knew enough to quit."

Callie smiled despite herself. "You're talking like I have multiple personalities."

Jess laughed, looking into her watery eyes. "Callie, you're smart, beautiful, and nice. You aren't the girl in that song. At least not anymore."

Callie smiled, and pulling him closer, kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Those two should get a room," Austin said, pointing to a couple by the dumpster. "Kissing by trash. It brings a new meaning to trailer trash."

Rory started to laugh, but as a car went by, she saw the girl's golden hair. "Oh my God."

"What?"

"It's Callie. And Jess." She stood across the street from them, stunned, as the two kissed, completely unaware of her.

"I thought Jess was just your friend."

Rory turned to Austin and nodded. "Yeah, he is. Jess is just my friend. I don't care if he ends up marrying Callie."

Austin smiled, looking her up and down. "Do you want to go somewhere more private? I know of a few great ways to relieve stress."

Rory wasn't the naïve girl she had been in high school. She knew he wasn't talking about playing Scrabble or watching TV. But as she watched Callie and Jess, it didn't sound half bad. "Yeah. I have a few ways of my own," she said, taking Austin's hand.


	5. The Aftermath of a Mistake

"Whoa. What do you mean Rory didn't come home last night?" Tristan asked, his voice rising.

Callie shrugged. "She didn't come home. Probably spent the night with that guy. He was cute. What was his name? Dustin?"

"Austin. And Rory doesn't have sex on the first date." Tristan shook his head. "Not that it even was a date." He frowned, trying to distract himself. "And you didn't get home until late yourself. What were you doing?"

"Oh. Jess and I went out for coffee after." Callie grabbed a cup, and Tristan frowned.

"Aren't you a little happy for someone who had her secret exposed to a thousand plus people last night?"

Callie shrugged. "They didn't know the song was about me. Rory still doesn't know. It shouldn't be that big of a deal." She paused. "You have fun with Lane?"

"Yeah. She's pretty cool for someone so stifled."  


Callie laughed and Tristan flashed her an odd look. "It's just…you're spending a lot of time with her, T. Going for another notch in the bedpost?"

Tristan shook his head. "No. Nothing like that. I just want to know what she has on Jess."

Callie's face clouded at the mention of this. "T, I think we should give Jess a break. We don't know what happened, and for all we know, he might have not done anything."

"Sleeping with the enemy, Callie? Not a good idea." Tristan shook his finger at her, as if he were scolding her.

Callie rolled her eyes. "I didn't sleep with him. God no. Rory likes him." She winced. "Rory likes him," she repeated, as if she were talking to herself.

"Yeah, Rory likes him. What did you do?" Tristan poured some coffee into her cup.

Callie sighed. "I kissed him."

"You what?" Tristan's voice was incredulous.

"Yeah, I did. But that's all. I swear, T. It was so stupid." Callie groaned, placing her head on the kitchen table.

Rory opened her eyes groggily, not sure where she was. The pillow was harder than hers, the bed lumpier. She flipped over. "Whoa," she exclaimed, taking in the guy sitting next to her.

"Morning," he said, glancing down at her.

Rory gulped, pulling the sheet over her bare breasts. "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh God. What did I do? What did we do?"

The guy, Austin, she vaguely remembered was his name, leered at her. "Baby, we shagged."

Rory grimaced at his frank language. Austin Powers. So not funny. "Uh, yeah. I got that. But what I don't get is why. Not that I don't find you attractive but…" She trailed off, the events of the previous night coming back to her. Jess. Callie. Kissing. Her Jess. Callie's Jess. "Oh God."

Austin laughed. "I knew I was good but to call me God?"

Rory got up from the bed, pulling the sheet with her. "Oh God. Oh God. What was I thinking? Oh no."

"Baby, you don't have to leave yet," Austin said, making a grab for her waist.

"Yeah. Yeah I do." Rory picked up her clothing and hurried to Austin's bathroom. "Oh God," she said, surveying her clothes. Her panties were ripped and the front clasp of her bra was missing. Slipping on her pants and her shirt, she grabbed her underwear and hurried from the room, grabbing her purse on the way out.

"Rory." Tristan stared at her as she came through the kitchen door, her hair disheveled.

Rory looked at him desperately and he noticed she was holding a ripped bra. "Oh my God, Rory. Are you okay?"

She nodded, her bottom lip shakily contradicting her. Tristan frowned, pulling her into his arms. "Don't worry. Rory, I'll make sure Austin pays for this."

Rory shook her head. "It wasn't his fault, Tris. It was just as much mine." She rested her head against his shoulder. "God, what did I do?"

Callie didn't know what to say when she saw Rory. Rory looked like she had all those times Callie herself had come home the next morning and kicked off her shoes. "Rory."

Rory looked at her, and frowning, she ran up to her room. Callie frowned. "What was that?"

Tristan poked his head in from the kitchen. "Talking to yourself? And to answer your question, that was Rory, post-sex."

"Oh no." Callie frowned. "But why would she…"

"I don't know. But I'm pretty sure she was a virgin."

"Oh. Ouch. That sucks." Callie shook her head. "Poor Rory."

Rory had been betrayed by her roommate. If she had to pick one person she had thought would never betray her, it would be Callie. Rory frowned, glancing at a particularly ugly bruise on her inner thigh. _'God, Rory. You can't blame her for this. It was your choice,'_ she tried to reason. _'I wouldn't have slept with him if Callie hadn't betrayed me.'_

Rory pulled her knees up to her chest. A single tear slipped down her cheek. And the worst part was, what Callie had done to her hurt more than what she had done to herself.

When Callie entered the diner later that morning, she sat down at the counter and waited for Jess. "Hey," Jess said, kissing her cheek.

She looked up at him. "Hey, Jess."

He stared at her, his eyes serious. "How are you?"

Callie shrugged. "Better than Rory."

Jess frowned, wiping down the counter. "What happened to Rory? And how can it be worse than what happened to you last night."

"What happened to me last night was balanced out," she said with a small smile. "But Rory…she didn't get a single good moment last night. She was raped."

"Raped? Are you serious? I know Rory's kind of naïve, but…" Jess trailed off. "Who did this?" he demanded, his voice becoming fierce.

Callie sighed. "That guy she was with. Austin."

"He seemed so nice. Did he drug her? What happened?"

Callie shrugged. "I don't know. She didn't talk about it."

"I'm gonna go see if she's all right."

"Rory." The soothing voice was followed by a knock on the door. "You in there?"

Rory sighed. "Yeah." She wasn't going to get rid of him until he was assured she was okay. "Come in," she said, wiping away her tears.

Jess opened the door and stepping in, he closed it quietly. "Callie told me what happened."

"That doesn't surprise me," Rory spat.

Jess frowned. "Uh, okay. Anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know it's gotta be hard."

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, well, some things hurt more."

Jess frowned. "Rory, do you want to talk to somebody? That was pretty traumatic."  


Rory rolled her eyes. "What the hell did Callie tell you? A bad choice, yes. But traumatic, I don't think so."

"She told me you were raped."

Rory laughed harshly. "Callie always did have a flair for the dramatic." She shook her head. "I wasn't raped. I slept with Austin last night."

Jess nodded. "Oh. Uh, okay."

Rory sighed. "Now go. I'm okay. And anyway, shouldn't you be breaking up with your girlfriend right about now?"

"What?"

"Yeah. I mean, you kissed another girl. I think Azura has the right to know."

Jess cursed under his breath. "Rory…"

Rory shook her head. "I won't tell anyone, Jess. I mean, it's not like I don't have enough on my plate already."

Jess looked at her sadly before tentatively reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Rory…"

__

His hands worked over her curves, from her shoulders to her hips, possessing her. Strands of hair covered her eyes, and she couldn't see him. She supposed that was good. She didn't want to see him. She just wanted to feel again. 

Her hands ran down his back vehemently, her red nails raking his skin. As the kiss grew more passionate and the room was filled by desire, she realized that this was the best she'd felt in a long time. She tossed her head back, letting his lips attack her neck.

Rory jumped, breaking the contact. "Don't touch me," she managed to get out, panic overcoming her.

Jess frowned. "Uh, okay. Rory…are you okay?"

Rory laughed. "Like you really care, Jess. I stopped believing you cared that day halfway through senior year. You've got to be really screwed up to do something like that."

Jess sighed. "Rory, I didn't mean to-"

"Save it, Jess. I'm past caring. That was a year ago."

"Rory…"

Rory shook her head, standing up. "You know what? If you aren't going to leave me alone, I'll leave you alone." She stalked out of her room, leaving Jess sitting on her bed.

Confused, Jess grabbed a book from Rory's bookshelf, and lying down, started to read.

Tristan jumped up as Rory ran from her room. "You okay," he asked, although he knew it was a stupid question.

Rory shook her head, walking past him. "Do I look okay?"

"Point taken." Tristan followed her into the living room. "Want to talk?"

"Not particularly. I mean, normally this is the kind of thing I'd talk about with Callie. But that was before I found out she was sleeping with Jess."

"She _did_ sleep with him? She told me-" Tristan stopped when he realized Rory's glare.

"You _knew?_ You knew my so-called friend hooked up with my sort of ex-boyfriend behind my back? And you didn't tell me?" Rory's face was starting to turn red. "God I need to talk to my mother. Where is she?"

"Luke's."

Lorelai frowned. "Luke, c'mon. You know you want to. Just one cup. Please."

Luke shook his head. "No. And are you aware of how pathetic you look begging?"

"I'll do anything."

"Anything?" Kirk shook his head. "I'd take her up on that. Have her strip."

Luke glared at him. "Kirk, don't encourage her." Turning back to Lorelai, he shook his head.

"Not even if I strip?"

"Not even if you-" Luke's voice was strangled in his throat as Lorelai stood up and slowly started to pull up her shirt.

"Mom!" Rory ran into the diner suddenly, looking ready to burst into tears. She pulled to a halt. "Oh my God, Mom. What are you doing?"

"Stripping for coffee," Lorelai replied simply.

"Oh."

Lorelai looked at her daughter's expression. "Oh, hon, what's wrong?"

At Lorelai's words, tears spilled from Rory's eyes. "Oh God, mom." Rory collapsed into her mother's arms, and as Lorelai patted her daughter's back soothingly, Rory whimpered. "I'm so stupid. I'm gonna end up just like you."

The words stung but Lorelai held back her reaction, not knowing what her daughter was talking about. But being like her was enough to make Rory burst into tears? That was good on Lorelai's ego. "Ror, what are you talking about."

"Callie. Jess. Me. Austin. Sex. Oh God, mom."

There were a few words Lorelai didn't like in that sentence. Jess. Rory. Sex. Lorelai shook her head, not wanting to hurt her daughter. "Hon, what are you talking about? I want to help but…"

Rory took a deep breath, sitting down on a stool. Hitting her head against the counter, she gulped. "Mom. I slept with Austin."

"You slept with Austin?" Lorelai's voice was harsh, disgusted. "Who's Austin?" she asked suddenly, realizing she didn't know whom Rory was talking about.

"A guy from the dance club."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "Uh, what?"

"Where you going?" Mrs. Kim's voice was suspicious, and she glared at her daughter.

Lane shrugged, grabbing a glass of water. "To the diner."

"With who?"

"Rory's friends, Callie and Tristan."

"Tristan a boy."

"Yes, Mama." Lane had to keep herself from rolling her eyes at her mother's obvious statement.

"Tristan not Korean."

"Yes, Mama." Lane rose the glass of water to her mouth.

"Tristan has sperm."

Lane choked on the water, spewing a mouthful over the room. "Uh, yes, Mama."

Mrs. Kim nodded curtly. "You can not see boy with sperm. Especially not Korean boy."

"Whoa, so your mom actually asked if Tristan…was able to reproduce?" Rory worded carefully.

Lane nodded, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Yeah. Then she's like, non-Korean boy. No see!"

Callie rolled her eyes, glancing at Tristan, who was leaning back in his seat with a casual grin. "What do you find so funny?"

"Emily asked my dad pretty much the same thing when she found out I was going to school with Rory. She told him to have me neutered."

"Doesn't she know that term's only used for animals?" Callie asked with a laugh.

Rory smiled, meeting Tristan's eyes. "What's the difference, Callie, between Tristan, and say, a dog?"

Callie laughed. "I'd lean more towards pig. I mean, he put away three helpings of dinner last night."

"Hey, I was hungry," Tristan defended himself with mock indignation, trying not to laugh. "And a pig? Pigs are fat. I'm not fat."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, Callie, you forgot he can eat anything without gaining an ounce. I guess he's no pig."

Lane watched the exchange between the three with remorse. She hadn't kept in touch with Rory very well, and she realized Rory had moved on with her life, leaving Lane behind. Tristan and Callie were the ones who knew all of Rory's secrets now.

"You were oddly quiet tonight for someone so outspoken."

Lane jumped at the voice, nearly dropping the glass of water she had just filled. Tristan stood leaning casually against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. "What can I say? I didn't find much to talk about."

Tristan's smirk deepened. "Lane Kim? Speechless? I doubt it."

Lane glanced at him, and through his teasing air, she could see the concern in his eyes. "I've been a bad friend to Rory. Ever since the thing with Jess."

"Hmm?" Tristan raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Nothing. I thought Rory did something she shouldn't have. I thought she gave up to easily. But it seems petty now. Don't worry about it."

"That's hard to do when Rory's one of my best friends, Callie's having a fling with Jess, and you're so concerned about the whole thing." Tristan shrugged. "Call me crazy, but I'd say something pretty big had to have gone down."

Lane shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you, Tristan. It's none of your business."

Tristan nodded, his tousled blonde hair moving slightly. "Yeah, well…I didn't really expect you to. You're too good of a friend to do that." He smirked. "Well, this conversation's come full circle. Do you want to go get ice cream?"

Lane shrugged. "Sure. Just give me a second."


	6. Ice Cream Psychology

Lane was nervous walking into the Dairy Twist, not because she was scared she'd ruin her figure after a bite of ice cream like most girls, but because she was with Tristan. Lately, he'd made her nervous.

  
Tristan turned to her, pointing to the menu board. "I'm getting a vanilla soft serve. What do you want?"

Lane smiled, glancing over the list. "You seem like a vanilla boy." She could've smacked herself. What had possessed her to say that?

Tristan laughed. "How'd you know that?"

Lane shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "I don't know. I'm just a pretty good judge of…ice cream flavors."

Tristan smiled. "Anyone ever fool you?"

Lane nodded. "Rory."

"Rory? She's like an open book. Chunky Monkey all the way."

Lane smiled. "Yeah, but that's not a Rory-ish flavor. Would you have guessed that if you didn't know already?"

"No…what did you guess?"

"Chocolate cookie dough."

"Yeah, that does sound like Rory." Tristan laughed. "Know anyone else who likes that flavor?" he asked to humor her.

"Jess."

Tristan froze. "Seriously? That's weird. I would have thought he'd like something gross…like pina colada fudge swirl."

"Yep. It's one of the few things that makes me think he's human…Do they really make that?"

"No. I could use a few of those. Have any more?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah. Lets see… he acted almost human when he organized that party after Luke's uncle, Louis, died. And he suffered through The Fountainhead because Rory asked him to read it."

"So he is human…I never would have guessed."

"So this is the center of Stars Hollow? This is the most exciting part of the town?" Tristan looked at the gazebo in mock disgust.

Lane laughed. "Yeah, it is. You know the story behind Stars Hollow, right?"

"No."

Lane smiled, sitting down cross-legged on the floor inside the gazebo. "Then I'll tell. There was a pair of young lovers, who had been…"

Tristan wasn't interested in the story, at least not really. He watched Lane as she spoke, seemingly fascinated with the myth behind her town. _Lovers…reunion…overjoyed…townspeople…sweet kiss._ Tristan's gaze fell to Lane's lips as she said this. They looked soft. Tristan shook away the thought quickly. _'It's just your hormones, man. She's Rory's friend. You can't do this.'_

Lane had fallen silent, and she was staring at Tristan as if he had two heads. "So what do you think?"

Tristan frowned, realizing he hadn't heard the question. "That's, uh, weird."

"Yeah, but do you think it could be true? That two people could have such a strong physical attraction to each other that they end up at the same place?"

He had to stop this. His gaze had fallen to her lips again, and as her tongue darted out nervously over her bottom lip, he looked away. "Physical attraction? Sure."

Lane smiled. "That's what I say, too. But Rory won't believe it. She says it's not logical. And I'm like, love isn't logical, and lust's definitely not. But you know Rory."

Tristan nodded, shifting uncomfortably. He couldn't look at Lane this way. She was Rory's friend. And he still liked Rory. He couldn't do this. Standing up quickly, he said, "We better get back to the Gilmore's before we're missed."

  
"Rory, can I ask you a question?" Callie asked hesitantly, worried Rory would hurl the dish she was washing at her.

"Shoot."

"Um, are you mad at me?"

Rory's jaw tensed and Callie frowned. This was not a good sign. "I wouldn't saw _mad._ No, not really. And not any more. Oh, and by the way, I'm happy for you."

Callie frowned. "About what?"

"Jess. I think he's just what you need." Rory held out a dish

Callie frowned, taking the dish and drying it. "Oh, so you know about that."

"Uh-huh. And at first I'll admit I was a little upset. But I get it now. You and Jess are perfect for each other."

Callie was beyond confused. "Um, okay."

Rory smiled, holding out another dish. "I just wish I had seen it sooner."

"So what are you going to call this in that paper of yours? A day with the guy I'd rather never see?" Jess kicked a stone as he walked.

Rory shrugged. "Maybe." She paused. "I talked to Callie."

"Oh?" Jess's voice sounded too casual.

"Yeah, I told her I thought you guys were perfect for each other." Rory paused as the two reached the bridge and she sat down on the ground to the side of it.

"Symbolism is rich." Jess smiled, sitting down next to her.

Rory frowned. "Excuse me?"

Jess shrugged. "You know what I mean. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. You won't stand on the bridge, at least not with me."

"This surprises you?"

"No, not really." Jess laughed. "Okay, Rory, what do you want to talk about?"

Rory shrugged. "I don't know. I just figured this would look good for my paper. I thought maybe we could just sit here, not talk to each other, and watch ducks in the water."

"There aren't any ducks in the water."

"And you think you're good with symbolism?"

Jess rolled his eyes, standing up again. "I have a better idea." He held out his hand to Rory, and pulled her up. "But you'll have to cross the bridge."

Damn symbolism. That was all Rory had to say. She wasn't going to let Jess win. "Okay, so where do we go?" She asked, stepping onto the bridge.

Jess stared at her for a minute before smiling. "Just follow my lead." He walked to the middle of the bridge and paused.

Rory stared down at the wooden planks, wincing. "You wanted me to walk halfway across the bridge?"

Jess laughed, pulling off his shirt and kicking off his sneakers. "Just follow my lead, Rory."

Rory glared at him. "Please tell me this is just some sick joke."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Fine, Rory. Then I'll have to help you." Stepping toward her, he held out his hands and rested them against her flat stomach.

Rory's eyes closed at his touch. "Jess…"

Jess lifted her shirt over her head slowly, throwing it on the ground next to them. "What?" He quickly unbuttoned his pants, putting them in a pile with Rory's shirt.

"Don't." Her words contradicted her actions though. She was already working on the buttons to her jeans, and her eyes were roaming over Jess's sculpted body.

"Your words are empty," Jess said as Rory threw her jeans into the clothes pile. He smiled as Rory stepped into his arms. "Actions speak louder, Rory."

Rory shook her head. "No…we shouldn't-"

Jess smiled down at her. "Rory, you know there's nothing you'd like more than…a nice swim with me." His voice became teasing as he picked her up and flung her into the water.

"Jess!" Rory's scream was pleading, but she was already over the water. She splashed into the water and came up sputtering. "Jess!"

Jess jumped in, laughing at her tone. She was trying to be mad, he could tell. But she was also trying not to laugh. "What?"

Rory scraped her hair off her eyes, and laughing, she said, "I- I wasn't supposed to get wet."

Jess frowned. "What?"

Rory nodded. "I have to go to the DuGrey party tonight."

"DuGrey? Is that Tristan?" Jess tried to keep the harshness out of his voice.

"Yeah…well, his family. He's not on the best terms with them. So it's kind of important that we go and I just had my hair done and…" She laughed at the absurdity of the whole situation.

Jess smiled. "Oh God. I'm sorry, Rory. How about we get out and you can dry off and-"

Rory shook her head. "No, I need a break. Lets just swim."

Jess couldn't even begin to describe the pleasure he got from those simple words. To know she wasn't scared of him, that she didn't hate him… He treaded water silently as Rory swam circles around him. "Ever notice how relaxing the water is?"

Rory nodded. "I understand why you like this bridge so much. It's peaceful to watch the water."

"There are other reasons this bridge is my favorite place…in the world."

Rory blushed prettily, glancing down at her hands in the water. "That was a mistake, Jess. You made that clear. So did I."

Jess shrugged, glancing at her. "Maybe it wasn't."

"What? Clear? Yeah. I'd say the walking off part made that pretty obvious, wouldn't you?"

Rory's words stung him. "No. A mistake."

"Ah, Miss Gilmore. A pleasure to see you again." The eldest Mr. DuGrey, Tristan's gentle grandfather, kissed Rory's hand. "And you look absolutely smashing, as always. Tristan has marvelous taste."

Rory smiled, not bothering to correct his mistake. "It's wonderful to see you, too, Mr. DuGrey."

"Please, call me Janlan." Janlan smiled cordially, meeting his grandson's eyes. "This one is definitely a keeper, Tristan."

Tristan nodded. "I know, Grandfather. Rory's amazing." Tristan held Rory's eyes for a moment, and the two shared a secret smile.

Janlan nodded. "Well, I have guests to greet. I hope to run into you two later. If I don't, have a good time." Janlan nodded and turned and started to walk away.

Rory glanced up at Tristan once he was out of hearing distance. "So we're playing this game again?"

Tristan nodded, wrapping his arm loosely around Rory's waist. "Apparently."

Lane knocked on the Gilmore's door later that day, and she was surprised when Jess opened it. "What are you doing here?"

Jess smiled. "Thanks for the warm welcome, Miss Kim. I could ask you the same thing." He rolled his eyes, opening the door. "I was hanging out with Callie."

"Hanging out?" Lane raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to know your definition of those words."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Nothing NC-17, I assure you."

"That only happens in your dreams." Lane walked past him, into the house. "Where's Rory?"

"With Tristan at some family party." Jess frowned. "Are those two…together?"

"As in romantically? I doubt it. I don't know for sure though." Lane sighed. "Why are you still talking to me?"

Jess shrugged. "Nothing better to do."

"You sure know how to compliment a girl. And couldn't you be practicing _kama sutra _with Callie?"

Jess rolled his eyes, walking away from the doorway entrance. "I never thought you had such a dirty mind."

"Rory, dah-ling, you look mah-vah-lous." Louise Grant had perfected the snotty accent her mother had months ago. She brushed a strand of her light hair out of her eyes slowly.

Rory laughed at Louise's actions. "You never were one to be subtle, Louise. What a big rock."

Louise smiled, tilting her head slightly as she looked at her ring. "Isn't it, though?"

Rory nodded. "Who's the lucky man?"

Louise laughed. "Ah. Grant Buchader. From the richest family in Hartford, with the one obvious exception." Louise glanced at Tristan, who looked away. "If only I could have gotten my claws into him."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Going to take his last name, Louise, or were you hoping he'd take yours?"

"Grant Grant. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Louise smiled. "No. I'll be a Grant-Buchader."

"Lovely choice." Rory smiled, happy for her high school friend. "Will we get to meet him?"

"Of course. He'll be back in a minute." Louise smiled, but the smile looked empty.

"Louise! Can I talk to you for a minute?" Rory caught up with her old friend in Tristan's drawing room, where Louise was staring absently out a window.

Louise jumped, turning around. "Oh. Sure." She frowned, wondering what Rory wanted.

Rory sat down on a plush leather couch, and Louise hesitantly sat down next to her. "You didn't seem to happy about your marriage plans."

Louise shrugged. "No one can control everything in their lives, can they?" Louise answered evasively.

Rory nodded. "But marriage? You can control that."

Louise shrugged. "Not me." She glanced down at her usually long nails, which were jagged now. She bit them when she was under a lot of stress, like now. "You've never been in debt, have you?"

Rory frowned. "Well, no. Not really. But you're rich. Debt to you's still rich to me."

Louise shook her head. "No, Rory, debt to me is when the stock market starts to crumble and Wall Street goes into turmoil." Even to her, her voice sounded oddly drained. "Debt is when your mother decides the only way to save the family finances are to be married off."

Rory frowned. "Your mother got remarried?"

Louise smiled at her friend's naiveté. "No, Rory. She's marrying me off to the highest bidder."

Rory's face paled. "Louise, that's awful! You aren't going to go through with it, are you?"

Louise sighed in frustration. "Rory, do you know how many times I've thought through this? Tried to find other ways? Countless, Rory. And there's no other way."

"That's so nineteenth C!"

"I know." Louise met Rory's eyes. "He's older though. He'll die soon enough."

Rory raised her eyebrows. "Please tell me you didn't just…"

Louise smiled, a real smile this time. "I'm low, but not that low, Rory. It is true, though. But I didn't mean it that way."

"How old is he?"

"Seventy-four."

"Oh."

To say the news of Louise's engagement shocked Rory was an understatement. She wandered around the halls of the DuGrey mansion aimlessly, her eyes not appearing to be focused on anything. Rory jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she found Tristan. "God you scared me."

"Sorry." Tristan took in her stunned expression, and he realized she hadn't even heard him approaching. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"About Louise's marriage?"

Rory met his eyes. "So you know?"

Tristan nodded. "The Hartford social circle's not exactly a quiet crowd. I heard within ten seconds of arriving here."

"That's an overstatement."  


"No. It's not. I really did." Tristan ran a hand through his hair. "It sucks for her, I guess."

"What do you mean you _guess? _It's awful. Can you imagine marrying someone for reasons other than love, especially someone that old?"

Tristan shrugged. "Yeah."

"Name one reason."

"Lets see." Tristan made a show of counting off his reasons on his fingers. "A girl gets pregnant. The man has to marry her. Financial problems. Mergers. Oh! And you know the old saying, 'keep your friends close but your enemies closer'? That too."

"You're sick. You actually came up with reasons."

"I can't change my background, Rory. I was brought up a DuGrey."

Rory frowned. "Your parents wouldn't arrange a marriage for you, would they?"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. They wanted me to have a trophy wife by the time I turn nineteen."

"That's just months away."

"Yeah." Tristan nodded again. "Well, they said they'd give me until spring break before they announce my fiancée."

Rory's jaw dropped. "That's less than four months away."

Tristan shrugged. "Yeah. I don't see what the big deal is. I marry some girl, we produce an heir, and we get divorced. That could all be done within a year."

"That's sick. Do people really do that?"

Tristan was quiet for a minute. "I'll tell you something, but you can't pass it around, okay? It would be really bad for the DuGrey image."

"Okay." Rory quickly agreed to this.

"My mother? She's not my mother. In fact, she's my father's fifth wife."

"What number was your biological mother?"

Tristan shook his head. "They were never married. Their families wanted it, my father accepted the idea, but my mom…" He smiled wistfully. "My mom wasn't that kind of person. She was eighteen when she had me. She had her whole life ahead of her. She wanted to be an artist, but an 'artsy freak' wouldn't be accepted into the DuGrey family. So she disappeared while she was pregnant."

Rory wasn't sure whether she should be happy or upset about this. "So…what happened?"

"She went to Hawaii. That's where I was born, in Oahu. I lived there with her until I was two, when a DuGrey private investigator found her. They got her on some kind of kidnapping charge, and said they wouldn't file if she gave me to them. She said no. They arrested her. I was sent to Hartford to live with my dad and his wife at the time, Melody."

"Oh my God. What happened to your mother?"

"She ended up winning her case. She's over in Hawaii." He paused. "I visited her during a vacation during military school."

Rory smiled, realizing how happy Tristan was talking about his mother. "How was that?"

"Nice." Tristan stiffened and Rory realized Mrs. Tiffany DuGrey was coming towards them, Tristan's stepmother.

"Lorelai! What a pleasure! It's been far to long since I last saw you." 

Rory had never liked Mrs. DuGrey. It didn't seem like she meant what she said. "It's nice to see you, Mrs. DuGrey."

"Just look at you! What a figure! I'm sure that's the only reason this little hoodlum is dating you." Mrs. DuGrey glanced quickly at Tristan before turning back to Rory. "Really, dah-ling. You _must _tell me how you manage to stay in such a marvelous shape."

That was the other reason Rory didn't like her. For someone from a family held in such high regard, the woman had little class. "Thank you. But you look great yourself."

"Really?" Mrs. DuGrey glanced down at her stomach uncertainly. "I've been so self-conscious lately. Mr. DuGrey seems to pay more attention to the French maids than to me."

Tristan snickered and Rory glanced at him, trying to hide her smile. "I'm sure that's not true. It's not like you're over the hill or anything."

The jab went right over the young Mrs. DuGrey's head, of course. Rory could understand why Tristan and this woman got along so badly. The woman was just eight years older than him.


	7. Drunken Confessions

AN- Once again, just reminding you no pairings have been established… 

Unfortunately, the rest of Rory and Tristan's evening didn't go without event. At one point, Paris Gellar had come over to the pair, another girl, slightly younger than Rory and Paris, in tow.

"This is Hannah," Paris stated simply, pointing to the girl. "I'm Hannah's mentor." Paris laughed. "Isn't that ironic? That someone as mentally unstable as me being a mentor?"

Rory smiled, shaking Hannah's hand. "I'm Rory Gilmore, a friend of Paris's from high school. And this is Tristan DuGrey."

Tristan had extended his hand to Hannah, but she stared at it in disgust, not shaking it. "I know who he is."

Tristan frowned. "Beg your pardon? I'm pretty sure I haven't met you."

"Not me, per se. But I do believe you have met my sister. Sarah Lee Henderson? Remember her?"

Tristan thought for a minute before nodding. "Oh, yeah. So she'd be a…sophomore in college now, right? How's she doing?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Hannah glared at him.

Rory frowned. "Whoa. What's going on? Tristan…"

Hannah stared at her. "Are you even aware of what your boyfriend's done to other girls?"

"Callie, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Callie looked up from the magazine she was reading when Lane appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Oh, uh, sure. What did you want to talk about?"

Lane sighed, sitting down in the chair next to Callie. "Well. Rory. And Jess. And you. Because Rory seemed pretty upset the other day and-"

"I kissed Jess."

"Oh, uh, wow. You know, I was expecting you to say a lot of things. Everything from you're using Rory for some exposé about the life of a small town teen princess, which, let me tell you, wouldn't make much of a story, to you're a princess yourself from England or something because you were secretly married to Prince William, which doesn't really make sense because that doesn't show why you-" Lane took a deep breath before starting over. "What I'm trying to say is I never expected that. I thought you were Rory's friend."

Callie winced. "I am."

"Well, I'd hate to have a friend like you."

"Uh, what exactly has my boyfriend done?" Rory asked, more to humor the younger girl than anything else.

"Lets see. He sleeps around." Hannah made a show of counting off Tristan's bad qualities on her hands. "He doesn't commit. He got my sister pregnant. He-" 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you just say?" Tristan stared at Hannah, an apprehensive look on his face.

"You heard me. And don't pretend like you didn't know." Hannah glared at him.

Tristan shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "No, I didn't. Are you sure? Because, I mean, your sister…"

"My sister didn't sleep around."

Tristan winced. "Uh, what happened? Did she have the baby? Does she have it now?"

"Well, Tristan, my sister became very depressed when she was pregnant. She had the baby- a little girl named Grace Isabella. When Gracie was three weeks old, Sarah killed herself."

Rory gasped, covering her mouth. Tristan frowned. "Whoa. What?"

Hannah nodded. "Yeah, you're responsible for my sister's death."

"Um, Lane, I don't have to deal with this right now. Because believe it or not, Rory is my friend. I made a mistake. I'm sure you've done the same. And I feel bad. Do you think I didn't hate myself afterward?" Callie ran a hand through her long hair, biting her lip to keep from crying. "Do you think I didn't want to take back everything I had done?"

Lane sighed, glancing at Callie. "I'm sorry. I guess I went overboard." She groaned, sinking her head down onto the table. "I guess it hit a little too close to home."

"Huh?"

"Senior year. I kissed Dean before he and Rory broke up. Rory never found out, thank God. I felt so bad."

Callie stared at Lane for a minute before she started to laugh. Lane looked at her oddly, then started to laugh as well. "Well, we share one thing."

"We're both terrible friends."

"Responsible? Hannah, I know you're upset about your sister's death, but to blame Tristan-" Rory sighed, glancing at Paris for help. Paris, however, just stood there, too stunned by the development.

Tristan sighed. "Hannah, if I had known, I swear to God, I would've helped." He bit his lip. "How old is Grace now?"

"Eleven months." Hannah frowned. "I don't believe you, though. That you didn't know about her."

Tristan shook his head. "I really didn't. Sarah never told me." He frowned. "I don't want to sound rude but are you sure she's mine?"

Hannah's eyes widened. "Yeah, I'm sure. She's got your eyes. She has Sarah's hair so…" Hannah trailed off. "Listen, I don't trust you now, but we can't afford a lawsuit against the DuGreys. I'll give you my home phone number so if you ever want to see Grace, we can set something up." She scribbled her number on a napkin, and handed it to Tristan. "Not that I think you actually care enough to call."

Jess stared at Callie and Lane from the kitchen entrance, intrigued. Just a moment ago, Lane had looked ready to murder Callie. Now the two were laughing as if old friends. He walked into the room, hoping the two weren't planning his murder or doing something equally as scary.

"What are you doing?" Lane's tone was slightly suspicious, but not nearly as bad as it was when she usually talked to him.

"Getting something to drink." He pulled a beer out of the fridge. "Want one?"

Callie quickly shook her head, which Jess had expected, but Lane nodded. "Yeah, sure. Is there any Heineken in there?"

Jess stared at her. "Next you're gonna be swearing like a sailor."

Lane shrugged. "Maybe. Depends on whether or not I get drunk."

"Whoa, that was weird."

After Hannah's little announcement, Tristan, Rory, and Paris had retreated to Tristan's old bedroom for some privacy.

Paris looked down at her hands. "I am so sorry, Tristan. When she asked if I'd introduce her to you guys, I thought she just thought you were hot or something."

Rory was quiet for a moment, and she looked at Tristan intensely. "Um, you made this Sarah girl out to sound a bit…promiscuous."

Tristan shook his head. "No, not Sarah. Sarah was almost as innocent as you were, Rory. Sarah was…" He trailed off. "Sarah was a year older than me, and really smart. She didn't get in on all those things the Chilton girls did. She was pure."

Paris glanced at Rory, and she shrugged. It seemed like Tristan had really liked this girl. "Um, what happened?"

"Summer happened."

"Huh? Weren't you already broken up with her?"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. But then Summer came up to me at a party, said she wanted to get back together. I was about to tell her no, that I was with Sarah when she kissed me. And Sarah saw."

"Why didn't you try to explain what happened to Sarah?"

"I did. But she didn't believe me. She said I was still the player I had been a year before, that I didn't really care about her."

Callie watched Lane in amazement. The short Korean girl had managed to gulp down four Heinekens, and it was obvious she didn't drink much from the way she was swaying back and forth. "Like, I've always hated Jess," Lane said, her words slightly slurred.

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Thank you. You can have that engraved on your tombstone. Lane Kim: Number One Hater of Jess Mariano. I'm sure it would go over real well with the church."

Lane shot him a dirty look, grabbing another beer. "No, no, no. I have reason to hate him though. He's a loser. What he did…" She trailed off, taking a sip of the beer.

Callie shot Jess a look. "What did he do, Lane?"

Lane shrugged. "To Rory. Well, it was about halfway through senior year and one morning Rory comes over and tells me Jess is gone and I'm like, 'Why do you ca-"

"Okay, that's enough beer for you," Jess interrupted, grabbing Lane's can. "I'll make you some coffee. Maybe it will help you relax."

Lane frowned. "I don't want to relax. And why the hell would I listen to your advice?"

"Tris, not to sound annoying but what are you going to do about this? I mean, you just found out you have a kid." 

Rory's voice was soothing, and Tristan couldn't be annoyed with her. Instead, he just let his head fall onto the hardwood surface of his desk, comforted by the coldness of it. "What am I supposed to do? It's obvious Hannah doesn't want me seeing Grace and I don't want to hurt that family any more than I already did."

"What do you mean by that? It's not your fault-"

"Yes it is, Rory. It's my fault. I got Sarah pregnant. I wasn't there for her. She got depressed. She killed herself. Because I got her pregnant, she killed herself."

"I get the deductive reasoning and all that, but the problem is, your premises aren't true." Tristan groaned, not bothering to lift his head. Rory sighed. "Do you want to see Grace?"

"Yeah. She's my daughter. Of course I want to see her."

"Then you should. Not tonight, though."

"Geez, you two, calm down. You're acting like Jess murdered Rory or something, and seeing as she's alive, I know he didn't." Callie glanced from Lane to Jess. "Just drop it for now, okay?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah. Okay, Callie. Sorry."

Lane nodded as well. "I guess I got carried away. Sorry, Callie."

Callie smiled. "Good. And you're both forgiven. Why don't we go watch a movie or something? You know, to take our minds off of everything."

Lane shrugged. "Sounds like a plan. Let me go to the bathroom before you start the movie." Standing up, she headed towards the bathroom.

Callie was picking the plates up off the table when Jess tapped her on the shoulder. Spinning around, she asked, "What?"

"Thank you," Jess said simply, smiling at her.

Callie shrugged. "No problem. Although I would like to know what you did to Rory, I don't want it in some drunken confession."

Jess nodded. "Seriously, though, thank you." He took her chin in his hand and raised her face until her eyes met his. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then left the room.

Callie grabbed onto the side of the counter for support, reeling from Jess's sudden action. "Shit," she murmured under her breath.

"Lorelai Gilmore! You look marvelous. I'm sure Tristan wouldn't mind if you danced one dance with my son, James."

Rory turned at the unfamiliar voice, and shrugging, shook her head. "Uh, he probably won't even notice I'm gone. Where's your son?" She and Tristan had decided to stay the length of the party, for it would look strange if they left a DuGrey party early.

"Oh, I'll show you." The lady led her over to a man who was turned away from Rory, talking to a group of people. "James, darling, I have you a new dancing partner."

The man spun around and Rory caught her breath. Austin. Her eyes darted around wildly. His mother was already gone, and the group of people Austin had been talking to were staring at her as if she had two heads. _'Oh, right. We're supposed to be dancing.' _

Austin took her hand casually. "Care to dance?"

Rory frowned. If she said no, everyone would think she was crazy. She had volunteered to dance with him. "Okay." She tried not to wince as Austin led her out to the dance floor and wrapped his arms around her.

"I didn't expect to see you again."

"I hoped I'd never see you again." Rory stared at him. "You used me." Rory paused. "James?"

Austin shook his head. "My middle name's Austin. And I didn't use you. You were more than willing. Maybe we can have a repeat performance." He leered at her.

  
"I seriously doubt it." She paused, trying to change the subject. "Why don't you and Tristan get along?"

Austin shrugged. "I stole his girlfriend at the end of sophomore year."

Rory frowned. "Who?"

"Summer."

Rory's eyes widened, remembering the night. "At Madeline's party?"

"Correct. How do you remember that? Were you heartbroken that I wasn't single anymore?"

"Uh, no." Rory frowned, thinking of how hurt Tristan had seemed that night. And to think she had invited the guy who had caused that hurt back into their lives. "You're a bastard."

Austin raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know a girl as innocent as you could use words like that." His eyes roamed over her body. "Of course, you're not _all _that innocent."

Rory glared at him, pulling herself out of his arms. "Go to hell, Austin."

There was a traffic jam on the ride home from Hartford. Rory sat in the passenger's seat of Tristan's Porsche, and glancing over at him, she noticed he was drumming his fingers anxiously against the steering wheel. "What's wrong?"

Tristan glanced at her quickly, before peering through the dashboard at the long line of traffic in front of him. "Nothing. I just don't want to get stuck in Hartford all night."

Rory nodded, picking her book up off the floor. She opened it, and soon she was lost in the book.

"What are you reading?"

"_The Scarlet Letter._" 

Tristan nodded, and after a moment, frowned. "_You _haven't read that yet? I would've thought you'd read that at like, fourteen."

Rory laughed. "I've read it. Many times. I'm just rereading it. You always notice something new each time you read something." She stopped talking as she noticed Tristan's gaze was focused on the road, and so was his concentration. "Uh, yeah, okay."

Callie sat in front of Rory's vanity mirror, brushing her hair. "Why aren't Rory and Tristan back yet?" Callie asked, her voice slightly worried.

"They probably ended up making out somewhere," Jess answered, his voice slightly disgruntled. 

Callie glanced at Lane from the corner of her eye in time to see her eyes cloud over. "I don't think so," Callie said quickly. "Could they have gotten held up in traffic or something?" She ran the brush through her hair again.

"Six hundred and twelve," Jess said.

"Huh?"

"That's six hundred and twelve strokes since I started counting. Do you brush your hair when you're tense or something?"

Callie nodded. "Yeah. But it's weird. I'm not that tense." She sighed. "I just wish they were home. I have to talk to Tristan."

When Tristan walked into the Gilmore house, he was immediately accosted by Callie. "T., come here. I need to talk to you."

Tristan allowed her to pull him into Rory's room, which had been emptied upon Rory's arrival, before he commented. "Geez, Callie, rip off my arm. What's going on?"

Callie groaned. "I need to figure out what happened with Rory and Jess, before it's too late."

"Too late?" Tristan raised an eyebrow, knowing he wasn't going to like this.

Callie nodded quickly. "Yeah."

"Care to expound?"

Callie took a deep breath. "I think I'm falling for him."

Tristan squeezed his eyes shut. "God, Callie. You were only supposed to be _talking _to him so we could get some insight into the problems our _friend _is having with a guy she obviously still has _feelings_ for."

Callie groaned. "Don't you think I know that? I feel awful as it is. That I hurt Rory by kissing him…"

Tristan sighed. "What do you suggest I do?"

Callie bit her lip. "Lane has some kind of adolescent school-girly crush on you. She knows what happened between them. Get her to trust you. Get her to tell you."

Tristan nodded. "Okay. I don't want to use her but-" He stopped as he heard the doorknob turning. "Shit," he whispered.

Callie looked at him, her eyes wide. _'Rory,' _she mouthed. Tristan nodded, taking Callie into his arms and kissing her passionately.

"Tris, Callie, are you in- Oh, um, sorry." Rory stood in the doorway, agape, and seeming a little upset. 

Callie jumped away from Tristan, as if surprised. "Oh my God, Rory! Um, that was just, uh…It was…"

Tristan shook his head. "No, Callie. We have to stop lying. Uh, Rory. We're, kind of together. We have been for a little over a month."

To say Rory was surprised was an understatement. After all of tonight's revelations, she couldn't deal with anymore drama. Collapsing on the couch next to Lane, she let out a groan. "I can not believe this is happening."

"What?"

Rory groaned. "I saw you, what, eight hours ago? Since then, I found out Louise is engaged to a septuagenarian, that Tristan was the product of some screwed up affair, that Tristan has a daughter, and that Tristan and Callie have been together, as in romantically, for more than a month."

Lane shook her head. "Tristan and Callie? That doesn't sound right."

"Yeah, well, it is. They told me themselves." Rory let out another groan. "Why can't my life be simple?"

Lane sighed, resting her head on the back of the couch. "I dunno, Rory…Tristan has a kid?"

"How much longer should we stay in here and pretend to make out?" Callie sat on Rory's bed uncomfortably, glancing at Tristan.

Tristan glanced at his watch and shrugged. "How's five minutes sound?"

Callie smiled. "Good to me." She watched Tristan closely for a minute, realizing he didn't seem like himself. "What happened at that party?"

Tristan frowned. "Move over." Callie obeyed and Tristan laid down on the bed, his mouth in the comforter. "IfoundoutIhaveadaughter."

"Uh, what?"

"I found out…I have a daughter, Callie. I didn't even know. Oh, and get this. Her mother, my ex, committed suicide."

Callie stared at him. "Wow. That's big. What are you gonna do?" She turned to him, her eyes concerned.

Tristan shook his head. "I don't know." He met her eyes. "I don't know what I'm gonna do."


	8. Complications

Norman N. Holland, from the University of Florida, defines the willing suspension of disbelief in four parts- we no longer perceive our bodies; we no longer perceive our environment; we no longer judge probability or reality-test; we respond emotionally to the fiction as though it were real. Please keep this in mind as you read this chapter.

*AN- IMPORTANT: In this chapter, there's a mention of Habitat for Humanity, which is a really good program I've volunteered for before. For more information, go to .

Thanks to Loz for betaing this and bugging me to update; Joan, Helen, Michelle, Lauren (LiteratiFan), Ruth, Princess Lia and Katherine for their support. And everyone who listens to me complain at ORG.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi. Sorry. Is this Mrs. Henderson?"

"This is she."

Rory let out a deep breath. "Um, my name's Rory Gilmore. My, uh, friend and I would like to meet with your granddaughter, Grace."

"Is this a life insurance personnel or something? Are you aware Grace isn't even a year old? Please don't waste my-"

"No, Mrs. Henderson. You don't understand. We met your daughter, Hannah, last night. She gave us your number. She thought that in case my friend wanted to see Grace-"

"Who's this friend of yours? And why isn't she the one talking to me?"

"Uh, my friend's kind of worried about this whole thing. See…he just found out…my friend's Tristan DuGrey, ma'am."

"Oh, oh! My lord! Um, he's not going to take Gracie away, is he?"

"No. See, he didn't even know she existed. He found out last night when Hannah told him. He just wants to meet his daughter."

"Oh, um, okay. Well, could you come over later today?"

Rory glanced at Tristan, who was sitting nervously by the kitchen table, tapping his hand against the surface. "Today?" Tristan's eyes widened, but he quickly nodded. "Today's fine, Mrs. Henderson. What time?"

"How about around two?"

"That sounds fine. We'll see you then."

"Oh my God. Oh my God." Tristan paced down the aisle of the clothing store, his eyes not focused on the clothing. "Rory, what am I going to do?"

Rory checked her watch. "Well, it's one now. So you're going to pick out some cute outfits and buy them."

"Rory…" Tristan's voice held a silent warning, but after a moment, he conceded. "How's this?"

Rory crinkled her nose. "Too pink. You don't want her looking like cotton candy, do you?" Rory pulled a set of three solid colored bodysuits from a rack. "Be practical, Tris. They'll need these, coveralls, pants, things like that." She selected a few more articles. "What do you think?"

Tristan nodded. "That's good. I like them. Lets get them."

"I don't want to go in." Tristan sat in the parked car in the Henderson's driveway, eyes trained on the front door.

Rory frowned. "Tristan, we drove all the way here. We're not leaving. Plus, you know you want to see your daughter. You'll feel better once you hold her."

Tristan's face blanched. "What if I drop her?"

Rory stifled a laugh. "Tris, you aren't going to drop her. Now stop wasting time and lets go inside."

Tristan nodded. "Okay. But make sure I don't hurt her, okay?"

Rory smiled. It was nice to see Tristan so concerned. "You won't, Tris."

"Mrs. Henderson? I spoke to you earlier. I'm Rory Gilmore." Rory extended her hand to the older woman, whose complexion made her look older than she must be.

Mrs. Henderson nodded. "Thank you for being on time. And this must be Tristan." Her smile was tense.

Tristan gulped. "Um, yes. I'm Tristan DuGrey, ma'am."

Mrs. Henderson frowned. "Don't call me ma'am. My name's Teresa." The woman was fair-haired with light eyes.

"Um, okay, Teresa." The three stood in a tense silence for a few moments.

"Mama, the baby is crying." A little boy, about five, appeared in the doorway. He frowned at Tristan and Rory, his dark eyes narrowing. "Mama, who are they?"

"This man is Gracie's father, Michael."

Michael bit his lip. "Is he here to take Gracie away from us?"

"No. No, no, no. I just want to see her." Tristan shook his head vigorously, not wanting to offend anyone.

Teresa smiled tightly. "Michael, be a good boy and bring these two to Grace."

"She's beautiful, Tris." Rory stood over Tristan's shoulder as he sat in a chair, holding Grace.

"Grace Isabella. A name fit for a princess." Tristan smiled. "She is a princess, Rory."

"I know. She's beautiful."

Tristan frowned. "Rory?"

Rory mirrored his expression. "What's wrong, Tristan?"

"How am I going to leave her here?" He sighed. "I don't even want to put her down for a second."

Rory gulped. "Tris, there are some things you don't have a choice about."

Grace babbled, letting out a gleeful sound. Tristan and Rory laughed. "Rory, isn't she the best?"

Rory nodded. "Tris, we should let her have a nap. We can talk to Mrs. Henderson while she sleeps."

"Okay." Tristan stood up slowly, staring at his daughter. He placed her in her crib. "I'm going to miss her, Rory."

"She's amazing," Tristan said, glancing at Teresa. "I wish Sarah had told me…" He trailed off.

Mrs. Henderson nodded. "She's a little angel. She was the only good thing that came out of something so bad."

"I want you to know, if I had known, I would've-"

"Mama! Jesse told me that if I didn't leave him alone, he'd make me!" A girl of seven or eight ran into the kitchen, wearing a ripped dress.

"Gretchen, Jesse didn't mean it. I'm having an important discussion." Teresa pulled the little girl up into her lap. "This is Gracie's daddy."

Gretchen smiled a toothy grin, and Tristan realized she was missing a tooth. "This is Rory and I'm Tristan."

"Sarah talked about you a lot." Gretchen cocked her head to the side, taking him in seriously. "Sarah really liked you."

"I really liked her too." Tristan gulped. "Your sister was a good person."

Gretchen bit her lip. "I know." She turned to her mother. "Mama, there's a leak in my bedroom."

Teresa took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll see if Jesse can fix it later. Can you let Mama talk to these people now?"

Gretchen nodded. "Bye." She scampered off, leaving Tristan, Rory, and Teresa alone.

"I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry about the condition of my house. I'm sure you must think I'm dirty."

Tristan shook his head. "No. Your house is fine. And you can't complain until you've seen the inside of Rory's mother's house."

Rory giggled. "You should really visit us sometime. Here's my address." She scribbled her number on a scrap of paper, handing it to Teresa. "Bring your kids."

"My daughter's living in a shack." Tristan stated the words, testing them out.

Rory frowned. "Tris, it's not that bad. They don't have a lot of money. Of course it's not going to look like the house you grew up in."

Tristan frowned. "God, Rory. I hate to be like this but…Grace is a DuGrey. I'm not usually big on the family name, but she won't even get any of the benefits. Did you realize that half those kids were wearing ripped clothes?"

"And the leaks."

"The leaks! God knows what comes off those roofs and into the house and gets the kids sick. And the faucet was leaking."

"You noticed that too?"

"Drip. Drip. Drip. How could I not?" Tristan heaved a sigh. "They're nice people, Rory, but…"

"I know, Tris." Rory bit her lip. "What are you going to do?"

"What's wrong with T?" Callie asked when Tristan walked right into Rory's room and shut the door behind him when they got home.

Rory shrugged. "He's upset because the Hendersons don't have enough money to keep their house in good shape. You know, leaks, bad heating, that kind of thing."

Callie frowned. "_Is _there anything he can do?"

Rory shook her head. "Not that I can think of. But we just have to let him come to that conclusion on his own."

Callie shook her head. "You know Tristan. Giving up's not in his vocabulary. He'll find something."

Rory nodded. "That's what scares me."

Tristan was sitting alone in a booth at the diner when he heard the voice. "Hi."

Tristan swore under his breath. He didn't need this right now. "Hey, Jess."

Jess sat down opposite him. "I heard what happened with you…Sorry."

Tristan shook his head. "You don't need to be sorry. But how did you know about it?"

Jess shrugged. "Stars Hollow gossip chain. And I'm at the end of the list. Sorry to tell you this, but by now, everyone in town knows about your kid."

"Oh geez." Tristan laughed harshly. "That's comforting…what are you doing here, Jess?"

"Work here…at least I'm supposed to work…on some level or another."

"Cut the shit." Tristan sighed. "Reveling in my misery, Mariano?"

"Self-centered, are we, DuGrey? Why do you think I care about your misery at all?" Jess shrugged. "No-sir-ee, mister. I'm just expressing my sympathies." 

"Mariano…I don't feel like pleasantries right now." Tristan's tone held a warning.

Jess sighed, hitting the table with his hand. "Fine. I'll cut to the chase."

"And the chase is…"

"You have a trust fund set up for you that would buy the east coast, right?"

"Only six or seven states." Tristan smirked. "Continue."

"When I was in New York, I had to do some community service…" Jess paused.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Jess ignored him. "Anyway, we did this Habitat for Humanity thing. We built a house for a needy family, pretty much. And I'm thinking that maybe you could use a bit of this DuGrey money for a good cause…" Jess trailed off.

Tristan thought for a minute. "That might work."

"Really? I never would have thought." Jess smiled, jumping up. 

Tristan held out a hand in front of Jess. "Wait."

Jess turned around slowly, and Tristan realized he had become tenser. "What?"

"Why do you seem… you don't seem sympathetic… you-"

"Do you really expect me to sympathize with you?" Jess said with a smirk.

Tristan shook his head. "No. No, that's not what I mean. You're…empathetic."

Jess glanced around nervously, before sitting down across from Tristan. "I am. Me and Az… Azura was my girlfriend before I came to Stars Hollow. She's kind of the reason I left."

Tristan paused. "Yeah, Rory mentioned that she never even knew why you were sent to Stars Hollow."

Jess's jaw tensed. "And she won't. Well, I left when Liz… that's my mom… found out that Az was pregnant… You can't tell anyone. If Rory found out…"

"Yeah, I get it."

Jess nodded. "Thanks… You should look into that Habitat stuff."

"I will."

"Aren't you in a surprisingly good mood?" Callie stated as Tristan came through the front door. She paused when he didn't respond. "Cat got your tongue?"

"I'm going to my parents' tonight." 

"As I said…" She frowned. "You feeling okay?"

Tristan nodded. "I think I may have the solution to that problem of mine." He grabbed a cup and filled it with water.

Callie sighed. "And where'd this idea come from?"

"Jess."

Callie stared at him. "You actually listened to Jess long enough to come up with an idea?"

"What can I say? It was a good idea."

"And it was…"

Tristan nodded. "Oh. Right. I'm going to go ask my parents for $2 million. I'm building Gracie a house."

"That's insane…are you serious?" Tristan nodded and Callie let out a screech. "Oh my God. You have to let me and Rory and Lane pick out all the furniture!"

"God. Screech much? Callie, you can be in charge of furniture. And I was thinking…Jesse Henderson, who I am assuming is the oldest son, seems to do a lot of work around the house. Maybe he'll help."

Callie nodded. "But be careful. He might be upset you don't _approve _of his house."

Tristan laughed. "I doubt it. I can't imagine wanting to be fixing things around that house 24/7."

Callie shrugged. "Be careful. You don't want to offend anyone."

"Tristan, I heard about everything." Lane fell into step with Tristan as he walked toward the market.

"From who? This town is worse than the Hartford social circles. At least _they _pretend not to know and only talk about you behind your back."

Lane laughed. "Sorry. But anyway, I think it's a good idea. Even if Jess did come up with it."

"Seriously, how does everyone know everyone else's business around here?"

"Miss Patty. She's Stars Hollows' answer to a grapevine. Although she probably has more wine in her cellar than a thousand grapevines could make." Lane shook her head. "Sorry. My mind wanders."

Tristan laughed. "I've been there." He sighed. "I still can't believe I have a daughter."

Lane nodded. "It's weird." She kicked a rock as she walked. "In high school, Rory had told me that you seemed a bit…fast…but I never thought…" She trailed off. "I guess when you grow up with a girl who's sixteen years younger than her mom, you never really have actual thoughts about teenage pregnancy. It's always right there. You don't have to _think _about it."

Tristan nodded. "Sadly, I think I understand you." He laughed. "So, what do you think?"

Lane shrugged. "It could work. And right now I think it's a good idea."

Tristan stared at her. "Yeah?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah."

Rory caught up with Jess as he was walking by the gazebo. "Hey! Jess, stop!"

  
Jess stopped, turning around suddenly. He saw Rory and relaxed. "I know you don't like me but making me have a heart attack could be considered murder. You don't want to rot in jail, do you?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "No. And I'd just say that you've been under a lot of pressure and even if I hadn't been near you, you would have had the heart attack anyway."

"But half the town just heard you scream."

Rory shrugged. "I'll…pay them off."

Jess laughed. "With whose money?"

"Uh…Tristan's. But then again, DuGrey money can't be associated with bad things, and I'm pretty sure murder is included in that."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you just can't be sure if murder counts as a crime among the rich and famous." He paused. "Why'd you want to talk to me?"

Rory frowned. "I can't just talk to you because I want to?"

"You can, but I doubt you would. What's up?"

Rory grasped her hands together in a nervous gesture. "Um, Jess, I just wanted to, uh, thank you."

"Thank me?" Jess arched an eyebrow.

Rory nodded. "Yeah. For your help. With Tristan. You know, the Habitat for Humanity thing."

Jess nodded. "Technically, it wouldn't be with Habitat. But still…it wasn't a big deal."

"Yeah. It was. Tris was freaking out because he thought his daughter was going to live in a sick house forever."

Jess sighed, sinking down on the gazebo floor. "I can't believe he has a daughter."

Rory laughed. "Join the club." She sat down next to him. "You should've seen her though. She's the cutest kid I've ever seen."

Jess smiled, glancing at Rory. "I bet she is…Rory, do you think we could ever be friends again? Really friends, not acquaintances?"

Rory was quiet for a minute, taking in the earnestness in his eyes. Jess's eyes had never been a safe place to look. It was as if there was a magnetic connection between them. "I think that may be possible," Rory murmured, closing her eyes and leaning in to kiss him.

"Jess! Hello. I missed you so!"

Rory jumped back at the voice, just before her lips were to touch Jess's. Jess coughed, glancing at the speaker. He jumped up. Two women were standing outside the gazebo, grinning at Jess. "Hello," Rory said slowly, not knowing who they were.

Jess stepped out of the gazebo and Rory joined him. "Rory, this is Azura Skye." He placed his hand on the small of Azura's back, smiling. "And this," he added, grabbing the other girl, "is our starlet Scarlett." 

Rory took in the two girls, hiding her disappointment. The sisters were possibly the most beautiful girls she had ever seen. Both had thick, black hair and creamy white skin. Their eyes were emerald green, their lips full, and their bodies perfect. Rory couldn't compete with these girls. "Nice to meet you." Rory shook the hands of both girls, albeit her disappointment.

"Nice to meet you as well. What did you say your name was? Lori?" Azura could even pull off bright red lipstick.

"Uh, no, Rory. With an R. It's actually short for Lorelai. When I was born my mother was all doped up and she felt feministic…is that a word…for the first time in her life. And she was like, well, guys name their sons after them…junior, the second, you know…so why can't woman?" Rory shut her mouth, realizing she was babbling.

Azura smiled. "How lovely. So Rory…the name suits you." She smiled at Scarlett. "Scarlett's not usually shy; she's probably just jetlagged."

Jess frowned. "Jetlagged. Where were you guys?"

Azura pouted. "I'm sure I told you, darling. Scarlett has been modeling in Milan for the last few days. We figured we'd stop in here before we went back to New York."

"Well, I'm, uh, glad you stopped by." Rory smiled. "Why don't you all come back to my house? I'd love for my friends to meet Jess's fiancée." 

"That would be absolutely lovely."


	9. Minute Maid

Things are beginning to shape up. Simply put, it's getting interesting. Thanks to Silence for looking this over before school… that's what a good sister's for. Thanks to Green Eve for her… to put it simply, intelligent review. And Christine and Loz, simply because they're the best.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who is she?"

Rory frowned at Callie's tone. "Jess's fiancée. Azura, remember?" Rory stared at Callie. "This doesn't upset you, does it? I mean, you _are _with Tristan." Rory's voice was almost harsh.

Callie shook her head quickly. Too quickly for Rory's liking. "No. Nothing like that. I'm just wondering if you're okay with this. Inviting his fiancée into the house and everything."

Rory nodded. "I'm fine, Callie. Jess and I were over a long time ago."

"There was a you and Jess?" Scarlett was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over her chest.

Rory nodded again. "Yeah, I guess so."

Scarlett smiled. "I knew it." She walked into the room, standing next to Rory and Callie. "I could've sworn you two seemed too intimate. But Azura was like, 'Jess is just a very friendly person.'"

Rory looked at Callie and they both started laughing. Scarlett frowned. "What?"

Callie shrugged. "That will be the common reaction when Jess and friendly are heard in the same sentence."

Scarlett frowned. "He's always been friendly to me and Az."

"You are among a select few, then." Rory smiled at the younger girl. "And this is a small town. You aren't going to find a lot of people who haven't had some sort of relationship with someone else. With the exception of Lane."

"Lane?"

"My best friend from high school. Her mother's a strict Korean, and Lane's only allowed to date Korean boys, and, well…there's kind of a shortage of them here."

Scarlett laughed. "Really? You don't say." She paused. "If you don't mind, could you not act as if there were anything between you and Jess ever because Az will flip out and get all jealous and take it out on me."

Rory shrugged. "Sure. I probably would too."

Scarlett turned to Callie. "So, I heard some pretty good things about your boyfriend…especially his appearance."

Callie frowned. '_My boyfriend? Huh? Oh, yeah. Tristan.'_ "Oh, yeah, he's cute." She paused. "I also just found out he has a kid so…" She tried to look upset.

Scarlett frowned. "Oh, wow. That's big. How old is the kid?"

"Eleven months. I haven't seen her yet but Rory has."

"Aw. She must be adorable."

When Lane walked into the Gilmore residence later that day, she was surprised to see it had turned into an office of some sorts. Rory, Tristan, Callie, Jess, and two girls she didn't recognize were sitting around the kitchen table, passing around papers. "Whoa, what's going on?"

Tristan glanced up at her. "Project DuGrey mansion. We're discussing where to build the house, how much to spend, who to hire, and such." He paused. "Want to help?"

Lane nodded, pulling a chair over and plopping down next to Tristan. "Just tell me what to do."

Tristan grabbed a pile of papers. "Go through these and map out the ground and pipes under the potential east wing."

Lane stared at the thick stack of papers that Tristan had put in front of her and it suddenly occurred to her that this was really going to happen. She smiled, picking up the first paper and observing it.

"No."

At that one word, Tristan's heart hit the floor. "What?" Tristan stared at his father, eyes wide. "I thought-"

"You're such a rash child, Tristan. So much like your mother. I said no. It would be an insane idea."

"I'm finally taking responsibility for something, for the _first_ time in my life, as you'd like to believe, and you're saying _no_?"

Robert DuGrey stared down at his son. "Yes, I am. Building a house for this… this _stray, _would be admitting your guilt. It'd-"

"My _guilt?_" Tristan interrupted, furious. He slammed his hand into the varnished maple table. "I have a daughter. I don't care who knows it. It's not something to be at fault for!"

"An illegitimate child, in this day and age, could… ruin our family, Tristan." Robert ran a shaky hand through his graying hair. "Especially after Katarina's… misfortune."

Tristan glared at his father. "Kat didn't do anything wrong."

"Your sister became involved with an inferior man. If that knowledge had become public, that Katarina had… _experimented _with anodynes."

"Drugs, Father. That's what they were. And all she did was experiment. She wasn't an addict."

"Still, something had to be done." Robert's demeanor became chilly. "Disinheriting her was the least severe method."

"This isn't about Kat anyway, Father. This is about my daughter."

"Fine. She'll be kept a DuGrey. She'll be raised by Audra. I'll call her in the morning."

"Audra has as many mothering skills as a praying mantis has relationship skills!"

"Audra will not eat your daughter, if that's what you're concerned about. She has a feeble appetite." Robert paused. "That will be all," he said formally, dismissing Tristan as if he were a common maid.

Lane frowned, flipping over onto her stomach and laying down next to Tristan on the living room floor. "I don't know." She met Tristan's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Tristan." She trailed off, her eyes trained on Tristan's. She licked her lips, trying to figure out what to say. When she looked into his eyes like that she lost her train of thought. "If they're anything like my mom, then I guess they-"

This was so wrong. He shouldn't be looking at Lane like this. First of all, she was Rory's friend. He liked Rory. He had since they were sixteen. Second, he had to keep up the charade of going out with Callie. Tristan gulped, glancing at Lane as she licked her lips.

She continued to talk, but he didn't comprehend what she was saying. His eyes were trained on her lips, and an overwhelming desire to possess them had come over him. He groaned. This was so not good. His eyes focused on Lane's eyes. She was staring at him, and he realized she had stopped talking. She must have asked him a question. "Uh. I guess you're right," he murmured, leaning towards her against his will, as if he had been possessed.

Lane's eyes searched his, and he wasn't sure if he should say something, break the connection. He didn't want to. He saw her gaze flick to his lips, and a second later, his did the same. It was as if he were watching a slow motion movie; he saw her eyes close, her tilt her head, lean forward in anticipation. He leaned towards her, until their lips were a mere centimeter apart.

Lane's heart was beating erratically, and her breath had become shallow. A hunger had overtaken her, and she was powerless to stop it. She closed her eyes, waiting for his lips on hers.

It never came. Tristan brushed past her, grabbing the cordless phone from behind her. "I want to call my sister before my father does," he said, his voice nonchalant.

Lane frowned. Had she imagined the whole thing? "Okay," she said weakly, her voice shaking.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Audra. It's Tristan."

"I haven't heard from you since you visited your mother."

"Yeah, I know… Listen, Father's going to be calling you in the morning."

Audra let out a sigh. "What did you do know, Tristan?"

Tristan wrung his hands together. "Spoke to Father."

"About…"

"My daughter."

"Your…" Audra trailed off. "Your _daughter?_"

"Yes. I found out about her the other day. Her name's Grace Isabella. And Father's going to have you raise her."

Audra swore under her breath. "I love how he makes my decisions for me."

"Don't we all." Tristan paused. "You will, right? I'd rather you raise her than she grow up in filth."

Audra let out another sigh, resigned. "As if I have a choice. Yes, I will. How old is she?"

"Almost a year." 

"Would you be a darling and fetch me a lemonade?"

Callie looked up from her seat on the ground to see Azura Skye standing over her, examining her manicure. "There's already cups poured." Callie nodded to the table next to her.

Azura picked up a cup gingerly, glancing inside. "_This _is lemonade?"

Callie nodded. "I believe so."

Azura placed the cup on the table, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Were the lemons even freshly squeezed? I'm pulled outside to this, this _picnic of sorts_ because you have a depressed friend, and the lemons aren't freshly squeezed?"

Callie raised an eyebrow. "It's Minute Maid."

"Meaning?"

"An instant mix...never mind. So, what are you doing here anyway?"

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah." Callie nodded. "What are you doing in Stars Hollow?"

Azura smiled. "Visiting the love of my life, of course."

Callie laughed. "That's a load. So you flew from Milan to Hartford, then drove here?"

Azura nodded. "Yes, obviously. It was on my way home." Callie laughed again and Azura frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Callie said, smiling. "Nothing."

"Tris!" Rory shielded her eyes as a football flew at her, hitting her in the corner of the eye. "Ouch."

Tristan glanced down at her and laughed. "There's no way that could have hurt, Rory. It was barely moving. Plus, I had told you to catch it beforehand." He approached her anyway, just to make sure. Placing his hand on the side of her face, he said, "Roll your eye back a little."

She did as she was told, keeping her good eye focused on Tristan. "This isn't the first time I've rolled my eyes at you."

Tristan let out a laugh, smiling, gently wiping something from her eye. "I'm aware of that."

Rory glanced up at him, blinking rapidly, the pain still evident in the redness of her eye. She caught his gaze, opened her mouth, faltered. "So…"

Tristan brushed his hand against the side of her face and shrugged uncomfortably. "You really will have a bruise."

Rory nodded slightly, her lips parted. "Yeah." She smiled self-consciously. "You should known by now that I'm not a very athletic person. When someone tells me to catch a flying ball, I just look at them like they're crazy...then I usually start flailing my arms." She stared at him.

Tristan's lips curved into a smile, and he brought his arm lightly around her waist. "Yeah." He leaned toward her. 

Rory's lips parted slightly, mirroring his actions. 

"Tristan, can you explain to Azura what Minute Maid is?" Callie interrupted. Rory turned to see Azura standing off to the side.

Tristan nodded, leaving Rory to mull over her confusions.

"So what did you find out about Azura?" Tristan asked Callie.

Callie sighed. "Well, apparently, Stars Hollow was _on her way home_. And she actually thinks Jess returns her feelings completely."

"Poor woman." Tristan laughed, glancing at Azura out of the corner of his eye. "And Stars Hollow isn't on anyone's way home."

Callie nodded. "That's what I thought."

"Every bone in that body of hers is possessive."

"It seems like Azura might be a tad bit…possessive." Callie's arched eyebrow accentuated her point. 

Tristan nodded in agreement. "That's certainly something we can use against her."

Callie grinned. "Great minds think alike, DuGrey."

The Hendersons were shocked when they were served with papers leading to Grace's removal from their house. Tristan had accompanied the lawyers to the house, feeling as if he didn't, he'd be a traitor.

It was clear the Hendersons already considered him to be just that. Jesse, glaring at Tristan, accused, "This has to be some kind of record, even for a DuGrey. You come into our lives and within a week, you ruin them."

Since the time he was a little boy, Tristan had been trained not to show emotion in situations such as this. His father had often told him that 'open emotion is a sign of weakness.' Still, Tristan couldn't help but bite his lip and stare at the Henderson family with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."

It wasn't much, but it was all he could muster. He looked over at Mrs. Henderson, her weak form trembling as she held Grace tightly in one hand, packing an overnight bag with the other.

Tristan approached her. "My father made plans for her to live with my older sister, Audra Reynolds, in California. You can visit whenever you'd like."

Mrs. Henderson looked up at him, her eyes full with unshed tears. He understood, of course. She was a stubborn woman- she'd never cry in front of the people doing this to her. "I could never afford-"

"I'll pay for the plane tickets, for your whole family. Whenever and as often as you'd like. And I'll talk to Audra. I'm sure she'll be glad to have you as house guests."

Mrs. Henderson offered him a feeble smile. "Thank you." She paused, glancing toward where her children were shouting at the lawyers. "I- I know it's not your fault. They do too." She shrugged her shoulders, eyes trained on his. "They just need someone to blame."

Tristan nodded. "Then let them." As one of the lawyers approached, Mrs. Henderson tensed. 

"It's time to leave, Sir."

Mrs. Henderson let out a strangled gasp. Tristan gulped. "Let them say goodbye." As the lawyer walked away, Tristan continued. "Here's my cell phone number," he said, handing her a card. "And eat out tonight. You shouldn't have to cook." Handing her a restaurant business card, he added, "This was Sarah's favorite restaurant. I figure you'll like it. I called ahead, and made reservations for seven o'clock. The check's covered."

Mrs. Henderson nodded. "Thank you," she said quietly, looking down at Grace. Her children started to encircle her, saying their goodbyes to their niece. "Thank you," she whispered again.

"Mama, why are you talking to him? It's his fault that all this is happening," Jesse accused, squeezing his mother's shoulder.

As Tristan walked away, he tensed as the dark haired boy's reproachful gaze followed him.

"Lane!"

Lane jumped from where she was laying on her bedroom floor, quickly shutting off the 'Here are the Sonics' CD she had been listening to. "Yes, Mama?"

Mrs. Kim opened Lane's door, hands on her hips. "I do not want you seeing that Tristan boy anymore."

Lane's eyes widened. "He's just a fr-"

"Friend, I know," Mrs. Kim interrupted. "But he still has semen. And according to Miss Patty, it works."

Lane froze. Her mother wasn't much of a social butterfly, so she had been hoping that that particular piece of gossip wouldn't reach her. "Mom."

"Measures had to be taken. I don't want you with him. There's a boy waiting downstairs to take you to church. You should be praying for your soul right now, Lane."

"Mama!"

"Go on." Mrs. Kim shooed Lane from her own bedroom, and as she watched her daughter descend the stairs, she gave a conspiratorial little smile.

Saying Lane wasn't happy with her mother was like saying the _Titanic _tapped an iceberg. It was a ghastly understatement.

Not only had her mother dictated who she could or could not see, she had set her up! Again! She was nineteen, out of her mother's custody, at least according to nationwide laws. Of course, the laws were flawed inside the Kim household.

Mrs. Kim had looked so pleased with herself as she announced there was a boy downstairs. It was probably a friend of a friend, a nerdy, 5'4, Korean-doctor-in-training who's first love was singing hymns at church every day of the week. 

Lane clomped through the downstairs store, looking for what her mother clearly considered to be her future husband.

What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.


	10. Semenless

"Hey Lane. You know, I think that since the last time I've seen you, your mom's really loosened up. She called me. Using a telephone's pretty modern of her, wouldn't you say?" the quirky voice said, a smile on his face.

Lane grinned. "Dave!" She threw her arms around his neck, and he hugged her back. "It's so good to see you."

Dave nodded. "I got that from the death grip, Lane." He peeled her hands off of his neck. "I won't look much better dead, you know."

"You look great!" Lane paused. "Did you say my mother _called_ you?"

"Yeah… well, technically she called Brian because he answered, but she called looking for me."

"To come here? And take me to church?"

"Yeah." Dave paused. "At first I thought that she must've hit her head cleaning, but apparently she called because she thinks I don't have semen? What's that about?"

Lane blushed. "Tristan."

"From Tristram, from tristis, meaning sad. Yes. What are you talking about?"

"Rory's-"

"Is Rory pregnant?" Dave interrupted, wide eyed.

Lane shook her head, holding back a laugh. "No. Tristan's high school girlfriend, his ex, had a kid. But then she killed herself. It's a messy situation."

"Yeah. I got that. But what does this have to do with you?"

"My mom thought that I was getting too close to Tristan, I guess. I don't know." Lane shrugged. "Why'd you come?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't have to come."

"Uh, yeah. I did. If I valued your life. I'm scared of your mother, Lane. She might be small, but she could probably take a pro-wrestler." Lane giggled at this. Dave shook his head. "No, seriously? I came because I wanted to see you."

"You okay, T?"

Tristan turned to see Callie standing to his side, a concerned look covering her face. "I just watched my daughter get taken away from her grandmother. What do you think?" he said, his voice harsh.

Callie backed up, stung. He watched as she took a deep breath, unwilling to back off. "I know that must've sucked."

"Yeah, it did."

"Well… they can visit her, right?"

"Yes. But visiting isn't much compared to living with her."

Callie nodded, sitting down next to Tristan. "Yeah, I know. But it's something, T." She paused. "Can I come with you?"

Tristan froze. "What?"

"I know you're going to California when they move Grace in. I want to come with you." Callie sighed. "I don't think it's something you should do on your own."

"Callie… California… You and California don't mix very well." 

Callie shook her head. "No, me and Los Angeles don't mix well. I'll be fine. Plus, you're going to need someone."

Tristan paused. "Callie, that's nice of you but…"

"I'll be _fine_, Tristan. I promise." She met his gaze defiantly. "And this isn't about me. It's about you."

"Okay. Okay, we'll leave in the morning."

"Oh my God! You have to come see Rory and Jess and-"

"Lane! Lane! Slow down! I can't understand every other word you say." Dave laughed. "I want to spend some time with you, first."

"Really?" Lane wasn't used to relationships like this, open, honest, permissible relationships.

Dave nodded. "Yeah. But first we've got to go to church." He laughed. "You have to pray for your soul. Pray that no semen infected man finds you, Lane."

Lane rolled her eyes. "My mother should put a prerequisite on my marriage application: Men with semen need not apply."

Dave raised an eyebrow. "That wouldn't leave many choices."

Lane shrugged. "Well, there could be a statement in the fine print. 'For more information on vasectomies, contact your doctor.'" She giggled. "I can't believe we're talking about this."

Dave nodded. "Lets get to church."

Lane rolled her eyes. "Rory's?"

Callie's forced bravado disappeared the second she was out of Tristan's sight. Of course she was nervous about going back to California, to a town not half an hour from Los Angeles, but she'd be damned if she let Tristan know that.

She reminded herself again that this was for her friend, and that she was a different person than she had been before. She wasn't a stripper, she wasn't a drug addict.

Callie threw together a suitcase quickly, not all that concerned about what she'd wear. Why had she volunteered to do this?

__

Because Tristan's my friend, she thought. She picked up her hairbrush, sitting in front of Rory's mirror. She brushed her hair for a while, then paused. Jess was right. She did brush her hair when she was tense. She put the brush down. If she could transform herself into a completely different person than she had been, she could get rid of an old habit. Her mechanisms were the only tie she had to her old life, to California.

"Oh my God! Dave Rygalski! It's so good to see you." Rory hugged her best friend's high school boyfriend excitedly. "What are you doing here?" The three stood on the Gilmore's porch.

Lane rolled her eyes. "Don't get him started on that. Lets just say it was the fallout of my mother finding out about Tristan's daughter."

"Oh… okay. So… your mom set this up." Rory met Lane's gaze with raised eyebrows. "I highly doubt that."

Lane laughed. "She really did."

Rory started to laugh as well, but suddenly stopped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"So… that would be like your mom giving her permission for you to date someone non-Korean."

"And without semen," Dave chimed in, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Whoa. Way too much information," Rory held up her hands. "Didn't need to know that."

Dave's face turned crimson. "No, not really. I meant… that's what Lane's mother… I-"

Lane grinned, patting Dave on the shoulder. "No need to hide it, Dave. Rory won't think any less of you."

Dave's eyes widened. "Lane!" Turning to Rory desperately, he added, "It's not true. I do have semen!"

Callie had chosen this moment to step out the front door. With a smirk, she said, "That's nice to know. Anymore bedroom facts you'd like to share?"

Dave's face turned a deeper shade of red. Rory rolled her eyes. "Dave, this is Callie. She goes to Yale with me. Callie, this is Dave."

Callie grinned. "Can I call you semen-man?"

Dave's head hit his hands, embarrassed.

"Callie. Callie. Callie, wake up." Tristan pushed Callie gently, trying to awaken her. "It's time to go."

Callie turned over slowly, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?" she murmured. Glancing over at Rory's alarm clock, she frowned. "It's four in the morning," she answered her own question.

"Yeah. The plane leaves at six."

"It doesn't take two hours to get to Hartford."

"Traffic, Callie."

"Did you miss my four in the morning comment? What kind of traffic is there at four in the morning?" She sat up, now fully awake.

"Yeah, well, I also wasn't sure how long it would take you to wake up. Would you believe I've been trying to wake you up for the past hour and a half?"

"No. I'm a light sleeper."

"Damn. Now I look really stupid. Okay, I didn't think through with the traffic thing. But it's good to get to the airport early."

"Who are you trying to avoid?"

Tristan sighed. "Rory. I don't want her to worry…"

"Okay, fine. Lets just get out of here."

"Holy hell."

"Would that be an oxymoron? I've always wondered about that," Tristan said, staring out the window on the DuGrey family private jet.

Callie laughed. "I guess so. Although, technically, hell is a holy place, or at least a holy idea." She shook her head. "Don't get me off track. This is a really nice jet."

"I know." Tristan reached past her to a dish nearby. "Chocolate?" he asked, taking a few as he spoke.

"Sure." Tristan handed her one, and Callie glanced around. "T, this is amazing. Is this real?" she asked, pointing at a painting that hung over Tristan's head.

He turned in his seat to glance at it. "Yes. It's a Monet. One of the last unclaimed, I think. My father bought it at an auction six years ago."

"It's nice." Callie had grown up with money, but nothing like the splendors of the DuGrey fortune. Apparently they had more differences than she had believed.

When Rory realized that neither Callie and Tristan were home when she woke up, she didn't think much of it. They had probably just gone for a walk, she assumed.

It wasn't until noon that she began to worry. "Lane, have you seen Tristan or Callie?" she asked her friend, who had come over within the previous hour. 

Lane shook her head. "Not since last night. They were talking about Tristan's sister… what's her name, Audrey?"

"Audra." Rory paused. "Well, if you see them, could you let me know?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah, sure… Dave and I are going out for lunch now, so…" Lane shrugged. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Rory watched as Lane left, more confused than before.

"Are we staying at Audra's?" Callie asked as they stepped off the jet, realizing she knew nothing of their plans.

Tristan shook his head as he pulled a suitcase from the jet. "No. My father owns a hotel nearby, so we'll take the vacant rooms."

"Why aren't we staying at your sister's?"

"Audra and I can't be in the same room as each other for more than ten minutes at a time. Staying in her house wouldn't exactly lessen the tension."

Callie nodded. "I get it." She took her suitcase from Tristan. "How are we getting to the hotel?"

"Walking."

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "Have you seen these shoes?" she asked, holding up her leg to let Tristan examine the three inch heels.

"Not a wise choice," he started. Continuing caustically, he added, "Comfort really doesn't have anything to do with fashion for you, does it?"

"Stop," she reprimanded, rolling her eyes. "How far do I have to walk?"

"Sixteen blocks."

"Great."

"The food's really good," Lane said awkwardly, not meeting Dave's eyes. Going out with him was odd after not seeing him in so long.

"Yeah, it is. I love this place." Dave smiled. "So… what have you been up to since the last time we talked?"

"Not much." Lane bit her bottom lip. "I started college in Hartford. I'm majoring in Music Theory."

"Kinda tame for you, don't you think?"

"My mother had enough trouble accepting that to be my major. She's making me take a triple minor in a few premedicine fields."

"Fun." Dave took a sip of his soda, still staring at Lane. "So…"

It didn't take a genius to know that eventually, the tension would mount. "So…" Lane emulated, glancing away from Dave.

"Lane." Dave's voice held a tacit warning.

Lane sighed. "I, well… what do you want me to say?"

Dave raised an eyebrow. "Um, how about you start from the beginning. As in, after prom."

Lane bit her lip. "Okay…"


End file.
